The hectic transfer window taking place at Chelsea is not stopping anytime soon. Having already completed six first-team signings, manager Frank Lampard is about to get his seventh (and there may be more). That is Edouard Mendy, the 28-year-old Rennes goalkeeper.
Mendy’s agent, Djily Dieng, confirmed the deal between the two clubs, and that the deal could even be completed in a matter of hours.
“The two parties have come to an agreement,” Dieng told Senegalese newspaper Stades via Le Telegramme. “All that’s left is the formalization.”
Edouard Mendy Agent Confirms Chelsea Transfer
Much-Needed Competition for Kepa
Chelsea have already signed quality players such as Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz this summer, but this move could still be one of the most important. That is largely due to the underperforming Kepa Arrizabalaga.
After a promising early start, he experienced a huge dropoff last season, statistically being the worst keeper in the Premier League. For a team that is looking to mount a title challenge this season, it cannot stand.
Arrizabalaga was once again given the chance to start against Brighton & Hove Albion and, once again, he underperformed, conceding a very savable equalizer to Leandro Trossard from outside the box.
At first, it looked like the shot was out of his reach, but upon closer inspection, the ball went underneath his arm. It was a shot he absolutely should’ve saved, but yet again he conceded the goal.
If not for a Reece James thunderbolt just two minutes later, Chelsea could’ve dropped points in a very winnable opening fixture, and the blame would have to be placed on the keeper yet again. This is what Blues fans have come to expect from him – a bang-average keeper playing for a top-four side.
Mendy’s arrival will push Kepa to play better because now he knows that his starting spot is by no means guaranteed. Lampard will have absolutely no qualms about dropping him every other week because Mendy has the level to be a starting keeper in the Premier League. He is no Alisson or Ederson, but he will get the job done, at least better than Kepa.
Mendy Likely Comes in as Starting Keeper
After Kepa’s performance against Brighton, Lampard was quick to defend his player, but he will no doubt have been disappointed yet again. It’s clear he doesn’t trust Kepa. Why else would he drop him in the top-four decider against Wolverhampton Wanderers last season, and again in the FA Cup final?
It’s not like Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was replacing him either; this was Willy Caballero, a career backup. Remember this is the same Caballero whose howler nearly cost Argentina a place in the World Cup knockouts in 2018. The same Caballero who Franco Armani, a man who’s never even played in Europe, replaced in the starting line-up for his country.
This likely means that Lampard doesn’t want to start Kepa; he’s just waiting until he has a better alternative. Mendy could be that guy, and he certainly seems more reliable than the Spaniard. For that reason, he could come into the team and go straight to the starting lineup.
Kepa is no doubt destroying his own case right now, but that will only benefit Mendy, who is now probably the best option Lampard will have at his disposal.
At the moment, Mendy will just want to focus on settling into the team. However, as soon as he starts training, he’ll have his eye on that starting spot. If Kepa keeps up his current form, he may not even have to work that hard to get it.
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