‘I’ve watched 30 goalkeepers in the last 18 months and he was the one who came to mind’: Petr Cech was struck by talent of Edouard Mendy and reveals role in spotting Chelsea No 1, who followed his path from Rennes to Stamford Bridge
Petr Cech has revealed that he was hugely impressed by the talent of Edouard Mendy when Chelsea were considering a move for the goalkeeper.
After enduring much frustration in the goalkeeping department as Kepa Arrizabalaga frequently made mistakes, Mendy has been a considerably calmer presence between the sticks since making the switch from Rennes in September.
Cech, Chelsea’s technical advisor, joined the Blues from Rennes himself in 2004, and disclosed that he played a part in the signing of Mendy.
‘We have Kepa and Willy Caballero, who every time we needed him was ready to step in and we decided with Kepa going through a difficult moment where things were not happening for him on the pitch, we decided to add to our goalkeeping group and we agreed to bring in Edouard. So far, he’s been doing great.
‘In my first eight games [at Chelsea], we had seven clean sheets. If he [Mendy] gets that and makes it better, I will be happy, because the team will do well and we will be winning, and this is ultimately what we want.’
Mendy has received much praise for his performances for Chelsea so far and will certainly benefit from the advice of a club legend in Cech.
Cech has been registered as a non-contact player in the Premier League, but it is anticipated that Mendy will play the majority of games for Frank Lampard’s side.
There was a special occasion for Mendy on Wednesday night as he was in action against his former side Rennes in the Champions League.
Speaking before the game, Lampard revealed that Mendy gave him ‘a lot of detail’ about the French side.
