Who is Edouard Mendy? Strengths and weaknesses of Chelsea's new number one
Chelsea have been enjoying a wonderful summer in the transfer market. Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech all improve the attack, while Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Ben Chilwell strengthen the backline. However, the problematic position is between the sticks. Kepa Arrizabalaga is not cut out for Premier League football, while Willy Caballero isn't quite of the level required for a team to challenge for the title.
That said, Blues boss Frank Lampard identified this area as one in need of improvement and Chelsea have done just that with the capture of Edouard Mendy. The 28-year-old arrives from Rennes as Chelsea's new number one. Nick Pope, Andre Onana and Jan Oblak may have been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in recent months, but the Blues have plumped for Mendy to occupy their goalkeeper spot.
Not quite a household name this side of the channel, Mendy impressed in his debut campaign for Rennes. Admittedly, the Coronavirus pandemic meant he was restricted to just 24 appearances as the Ligue 1 campaign was curtailed with 10 games to play, but Mendy played his part to ensure Rennes finished the season third.
Of those to have featured in more than half of their team's available matches, only Keylor Navas and Predrag Rajkovic (both 18) conceded fewer goals than Mendy (19) in France's top tier last term and he played a key role in Rennes boasting one of the best defensive records in the league. Factor in a save success rate of 75.3% - that the fourth best in Ligue 1 last season - and a return of 2.5 saves per 90, and it's clear the shotstopping side to Mendy's game is one of his key strengths.
However, for a team of Chelsea's standing, they often look to dominate opponents and play out from the back rather then use a direct route and pump the ball upfield. As such, the goalkeeper needs to be as capable with the ball at his feet as he is with his hands. Mendy, though, is a solid performer in that regard.
A 70.1% pass success rate in Ligue 1 last season may have been lower than Kepa (79.7%), but with Rennes' possession average (50%) lower than Chelsea (57.9%), and Mendy (16.3) averaging more long balls per game than the Spaniard (9.6) that dip in success rate shouldn't come as too big a shock with the two teams playing different styles.
Yet for a team that saw little of the ball by comparison, Mendy was still able to pick out a teammate with ease, and his distribution will have been another factor in Chelsea's pursuit of the Senegal international.
Of course, there will now be ample pressure on Mendy to make an immediate impact with the Blues and having played only two full seasons in one of Europe's top leagues, he'll need to make a smooth transition from Ligue 1 to the Premier League. That being said, the last goalkeeper Chelsea did sign from Rennes was a certain Petr Cech and he developed into one of the best in the world during his time at Stamford Bridge.
It's been reported that Cech had some influence in Chelsea's pursuit of Mendy, which is a ringing endorsement for the new Blues goalkeeper and one that should sit well with supporters. And, let's be honest, he is an upgrade on Kepa, whose save success rate of 53.9% was the worst in Europe's top five leagues last season. The bare minimum for any goalkeeper is to save shots, which Kepa failed to do.
Chelsea made an expensive mistake in signing Kepa two years ago, though, without the gift of foresight, few could have predicted that the former Athletic Club man would have flopped as he did. At a reported £25m, Chelsea have made a smart investment in landing Mendy, who'll look to play his part in the Blues' expensively assembled lineup that is well placed to push for domestic glory.
