Chelsea Rumors: Goalkeeping Issue At Stamford Bridge Civil, According To Mendy

Chelsea FC has been doing great in the goalkeeping position since Edouard Mendy came on board. Despite the presence of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero, the 28-year-old shot-stopper has been doing a good job and repaying the trust that Blues coach Frank Lampard has given him.

With three goalkeepers in Chelsea, critics and fans are curious about how things really are between Mendy and Kepa. The Senegal goalkeeper bared that all is well between them over at the Cobham training ground despite the intense competition.

“I have a very good relationship with Kepa,” Mendy said via the club’s official website. “The group of goalkeepers we have, we are all very open, and all of us understand that the team is the most important thing here and doing what is right for the group. Our relationships are already very good.”

Though he has two clean sheets to show, Mendy is aware of the pressure that comes with his position. Most know what Kepa went through, with his situation made even harder by the fact he was given a $93 million contract in 2018 that made him the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.

Mendy was taken in recently following a $28 million move from Rennes. Though he is facing immense pressure, the 28-year-old said that he is aware of what the job came with. For him, it is all about focusing on what Lampard tells him and performing at his best.

"I was focusing on what the coach had told me about coming here. He, along with the rest of the club, reassured me that this would be the best club for me to continue developing as a player and to help the team. That's what I'm focusing on," Mendy said.

It has been quite a climb for Mendy, who almost quit football. He was without a team in 2014 and there were a lot of other adversities that pulled him down.

His fortunes changed following a move to Marseille, which gave him a chance to turn things around. And rewarding him for his patience and hard work is his new stint as Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper, The Guardian reported.

“I did genuinely have my doubts about whether I would carry on. But I look at it now and say that it’s thanks to those moments that I am where I am today, and my family has also been able to benefit from where I’ve got to with my football,” Mendy said.