What a start to life at Chelsea it has been for Edouard Mendy. Coming into the team as a relatively unknown £20 million signing, he had a massive task on his hands. The Senegalese had to replace arguably one of the worst signings in Chelsea’s history in Kepa Arrizabalaga.
He has settled into the club superbly and has already shown his class. But now he’s shockingly just a clean sheet against Leeds United away from equalling Kepa’s entire clean sheet total for the past two seasons.
Chelsea Keeper Mendy Nears Another Astonishing Record
Very Poor Run of Form For Kepa
Despite a promising early start, the Spaniard looks unlikely to ever start consecutive games for Chelsea again. He may play in the FA Cup, but barring an injury to Mendy, as well as potentially Willy Caballero, he has made his last appearance in the Premier League.
Last season, Kepa started 33 games in the league, keeping eight clean sheets. He also kept a singular clean sheet in both the Champions League and the FA Cup. His one bright performance of the season came against Liverpool, where he shut down the league’s best team. That game reminded everyone of the quality he still has, but he simply never showed it again.
This season, a thigh injury for Mendy allowed Kepa to start three games. In each game, he not only conceded but was directly at fault for at least one of the goals. Of the ten goals Chelsea have allowed in the league so far, six of them were in three games under Kepa, with three coming in one game with Caballero, too.
It’s safe to say neither of the backup goalkeepers have impressed manager Frank Lampard so far this season.
Mendy Dazzles Instantly for Chelsea
While Kepa and Caballero have been disappointing, Lampard could not be happier with what Mendy has produced. In just 12 games in all competitions, the 28-year-old has kept nine clean sheets and has only conceded three goals. This means that if he holds firm against Leeds’s powerful attack, he will have already equalled Kepa’s clean sheet total since the beginning of last season.
In 13 matches, Mendy could equal Kepa’s record in 44. That is simply astonishing, and full credit to Mendy for the monumental job he has done. Chelsea now look rock-solid at the back, and while that’s certainly not down to him alone, he has had a massive role in that.
As Mendy looks to push on and shatter Kepa’s record, the man he’s replacing will be left with one or two unimportant games here and there, as a way to prove he still deserves a place in this Chelsea roster.
For the time being, though, Mendy is the main man between the sticks. And that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon.
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