Chelsea takes bold step on Senegal goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy

Chelsea have signed Rennes goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy on a five-year deal.

The 28 year old Senegal international, made 25 league appearances for the Ligue 1 side after joining from Reims in 2019.

On Tuesday, Mendy completed his medical, with manager Frank Lampard having said he wants to increase competition with club record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga, who cost £71m.

Expressing excitement, after the deal, Mendy said: “I’m so excited to be joining Chelsea.”

“It’s a dream for me to be a part of this exciting squad,” he added.

On the Chelsea director’s part, Marina Granovskaia said: “As soon as Petr Cech and our technical team identified Edouard as the most suitable goalkeeper to complement our existing group, there was only one player we wanted to bring in.

“Edouard arrives following a season of real success with Rennes, he is ambitious for more, and we welcome him to our club.”

Meanwhile, Kepa was at fault for Liverpool’s second goal in the 2-0 Premier League defeat by the Reds on Sunday, which Lampard described as “a clear mistake.”

The Spanish international was also dropped last season after mistakes in games.

That included the FA Cup final, when the 25-year-old was replaced by second-choice goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who is 38.

Last season for Rennes, Mendy kept nine clean sheets in 24 Ligue 1 appearances, compared to Kepa’s eight cleans sheets in 33 Premier League appearances.

Mendy’s save percentage was 76.3% and he conceded a goal every 114 minutes. Kepa’s save percentage was 53.5%, conceding a goal every 63 minutes.

However, Kepa’s passing accuracy was 79.7% compared to Mendy’s 70.1%.

Mendy, who has eight international caps, becomes Frank Lampard’s eighth signing of the transfer.

He follows in the footsteps of former Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, who joined the the club from Rennes in 2004 and is now the club’s technical and performance advisor.

BBC