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Chelsea: Edouard Mendy could ‘push to leave’ this summer
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy will ‘push to leave’ the club this summer if he is not given more minutes on the pitch, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
The Lowdown: Mendy’s game-time
The 30-year-old was the Blues’ first-choice goalkeeper last season, making 34 appearances in the Premier League, but he has not consistently been in the starting XI this term, already being benched four times and starting just eight top-flight matches.
The Senegal international has been dealing with a shoulder injury which has caused him to miss six games, but his performances have not been of his usual standard when he has been fit.
He was accused of “dreadful” errors by journalist James Pearce during his country’s 2-0 defeat against the Netherlands at the World Cup and was also culpable of what then-Blues manager termed a “huge mistake” in Chelsea’s 3-0 hammering at Leeds in the early weeks of the current campaign.
The Latest: Mendy leaving this summer?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Phillips shared his views on the 30-year-old’s future at Stamford Bridge, with Mendy having rejected a contract offer from Chelsea just before Christmas.
The journalist said: “Chelsea bringing in a goalkeeper depends on what happens with Mendy because Kepa is liked by the club and he’s liked by Potter, so I can actually see him sticking around.
“But I think Mendy is not going to stay if he’s going to be a back-up goalkeeper. He wants to be a number one, so he will push to leave in the summer if the situation stays the same.”
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The Verdict: Let him go?
Kepa Arrizabalaga has put in some much-improved displays of late, keeping clean sheets in his last three matches, and he is now ranked by SofaScore as Chelsea’s third-best performing player in the Premier League this season with an average rating of 7.43.
As such, it would probably be a wise decision to let Mendy depart, as there is no point in keeping the £55k-per-week earner on the wage bill when he is unlikely to get much game-time, particularly considering Phillips’ assertion that Graham Potter is said to rate Arrizabalaga highly.
The Senegal goalkeeper will be remembered fondly by Chelsea fans as one of the key figures in their 2021 Champions League triumph, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Manchester City in the final, but unless things drastically change in the near future, it is probably best for all parties if he leaves this summer.
