Kepa Arrizabalaga signing for Chelsea in August 2018 was welcomed with great optimism, a move which was meant to help soften the blow dealt to the club by Thibaut Courtois' departure to Real Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao almost cashed in on the Spaniard amid interest from Real in January two years ago for just £18million, but six months later saw their star depart for a whopping £72m, a record amount for a goalkeeper that still stands to this day.
But more than two years on from his arrival at Stamford Bridge, the 25-year-old is staring down the barrel with his time in the Premier League being defined by high-profile blunders and costly mistakes at key moments.
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was the latest beneficiary of Kepa's ineptitude, with the Senegalese easily intercepting his pass out from the back before doubling the Reds' advantage in their 2-0 win against the 10-man Blues on Sunday.
But it was perhaps the moments after Mane's second goal - which meant Kepa had conceded 11 of the last 16 shots he'd faced - that perhaps told a more poignant story.
When Lampard was asked what could be done to improve Kepa's form, he responded: 'To try and give him confidence because a goalkeeper relies on confidence. These things do happen.
'How do you gauge confidence? I don't know. It's just a clear mistake today.'
But it appeared evident that Kepa's confidence would be at rock-bottom on any scale or measuring instrument or device used right now, making a second mistake in as many games after failing to keep out Leandro Trossard's long-range effort at Brighton.
After conceding to Mane, a keeper who had previously disobeyed former boss Maurizio Sarri and refused to be substituted before the penalty shootout in the Carabao Cup final in 2019 now timidly drank from his water bottle, meekly looking on at Liverpool's celebrations wishing the ground would swallow him up.
'As players you go through tough times and Kepa is going through one at the moment,' Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports following the game.
'You actually feel a bit sorry for him now. He's just having one of those nightmare moments.'
Of course that shocking moment could have been come beforehand to save him that embarrassment, but the incident that brought the red card for Andreas Christensen would only have highlighted a growing lack of judgement.
It appeared Mane would have got to Jordan Henderson's lofted pass first, and had the centre back not hauled him down, there is a chance Kepa would have fouled him and been dismissed himself.
But while Sunday's eventual error could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Kepa as a regular member of Chelsea's squad, the problem has been brewing for some time now.
Frank Lampard's additions of Ben Chilwell and veteran Thiago Silva have been made with a clear intention to fix a leaky defence that had conceded 79 goals across all competitions in 2019-20.
Their Premier League goals conceded tally came to 54 in the last campaign, more than 10 other top-flight sides and Brighton - who finished in 15th place - as the west London side recorded their worst defensive record for more than 20 years.
But while Chelsea appear vulnerable at set plays and on the counter-attack which would leave most top-class goalkeepers exposed, Kepa's figures make for equally grim reading.
Last season, Kepa saved only 54.5 per cent of shots on target, the lowest figure for any regular Premier League goalkeeper over a full season since records began to be collated in 2003-04.
Of the 47 goals that he let past him last season, he stood motionless for 14 of them, which equates to 30 per cent of the goals he conceded.
A stat from Opta in July also revealed Kepa conceded 11 Premier League goals more than their goals on target data model would expect the 'average' goalkeeper to concede, the worst figure of any shot-stopper in the division.
There were no signs of such a dramatic implosion in his first season at Stamford Bridge, with his shots-on-target save percentage 67.5 per cent, very similar to the 68.2 per cent he recorded over two seasons in LaLiga at Athletic Bilbao.
But 2019-20 saw a personal collapse of inconceivable proportions as he made numerous mistakes, including in Champions League fixtures against Ajax and Valencia as well as domestically against Newcastle and Arsenal.
And it was after that thrilling 2-2 draw to the 10-man Gunners that Lampard decided to pull the trigger and replace Kepa in the line-up with No 2 Willy Caballero in early February. Not that his Argentine replacement was much better in the five league starts he did play.
In those games, Caballero's shots-on-target save percentage was only marginally better than Kepa's at 56.3 per cent.
It is undoubtedly a small sample size to judge the 38-year-old on but statistics from The Guardian show it is significantly below his career average: 71 per cent over six seasons at Elche, 74 per cent over four seasons at Malaga and 72.6 per cent over three seasons at Manchester City.
Chelsea had hoped to find a buyer for their under-fire keeper this summer but have found it impossible to move him on and Lampard has had to try and implement him back into the side.
But following the Liverpool result, statistician Duncan Alexander said Kepa has now let in 8.4 per cent of the goals Chelsea have ever conceded in the Premier League, making his case for a chance to fight for a first-team place becoming increasingly difficult to endorse.
While they have had limited success shifting a goalkeeper out, it appears Chelsea's luck is in with trying to bring one in after they finally agreed a five-year deal worth £26m for Rennes' Edouard Mendy after weeks of negotiations.
The 28-year-old Senegal international is set to become the seventh signing in an extraordinary summer of spending for Chelsea - which is set to top £250m - in a deal understood to be £22m plus add-ons.
But while figures continue to float around as to the Blues' lavish summer spending this year, it appears it will be somewhat counteracted with the lingering reminder that their £72m purchase two years ago has not only spectacularly under-performed but is now a much-maligned figure at the club.
After building success during the club's most fruitful period at the club on the likes of Petr Cech, Kepa not only represents a far cry from Chelsea's current technical director but as a player who has never and will never be cut out for the Premier League.
Sportsmail's Chris Sutton believes that in committing another clanger, he further established himself as Chelsea's worst value signing, ahead of the likes of Andriy Shevchenko at £30m and Fernando Torres at £50m.
But based on the discernible lack of progression despite still having years ahead of him as a goalkeeper, there is a genuine worry he could become one of the league's worst-ever imports.
The debate would throw up countless amount of names in a variety of positions, but at the moment it is difficult to predict just how and what form Kepa can restore the image of a confident keeper who would enjoy years of success with club and country.
And if that plays out if and when his time in England comes to an end, his name will not be too far from such deprecating discussions.
