Chelsea have announced that they have signed 28-year-old goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes on a five-year deal.
Chelsea have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Edouard Mendy. The 28-year-old Senegalese international, who has joined the Premier League giants from Rennes in a £22 million deal, has penned a five-year contract with his new club.
Mendy completed just one season with Rennes, having joined them from Reims last summer. In that solitary campaign, though, the 28-year-old made quite an impression, having quickly become the first-choice goalkeeper at Roazhon Park before going on to make 34 appearances, keeping 13 clean sheets in the process.
OFFICIAL: Chelsea complete the signing of Edouard Mendy. That summer haul ? pic.twitter.com/rSiXLgMlmn
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 24, 2020
His progress caught the eye of some of the best clubs in Europe, with Chelsea, in particular, showing a keen interest in him. In fact, former Rennes and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, now the Blues’ technical and performance advisor, had reportedly suggested Mendy’s name to the club, post which the west Londoners even had a bid rejected by Rennes.
However, in recent weeks, Chelsea seemed to have made a lot of progress in their talks with the French outfit as well as the player’s entourage. In fact, recent reports suggested that the Blues had been closing in on his capture. Manager Frank Lampard even confirmed the player’s medical earlier this week and now, the transfer has finally been completed.
As per Sky Sports, Chelsea and Rennes have reached an agreement over a £22 million deal. The Senegalese goalkeeper has put pen to a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge and expressed his delight at joining the English heavyweights after being announced as their seventh signing of a busy summer transfer window.
See you soon, Edouard! ?#WelcomeMendy pic.twitter.com/ElkbbifmQj
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 24, 2020
“I am so excited to be joining Chelsea. It’s a dream for me to be a part of this exciting squad and to work with Frank Lampard and all of his coaching staff. I look forward to meeting my team-mates and can’t wait to get started.”
Mendy will now compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero for the role of the first-choice goalkeeper at Chelsea. The need to sign a new shot stopper had indeed been urgent for the Blues, with Kepa making another high profile error this past weekend against Liverpool, having already been coming off a torrid 2019/20 campaign.
Caballero, on the other hand, is 38 and in the twilight of his career, although he strengthened his case for the first-choice berth with a top class showing against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup this week. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen what the future of Chelsea’s goalkeeping department looks like, following the arrival of Mendy.
