Glen Johnson urges Chelsea to avoid signing Jordan Pickford
Speaking to BettingOdds (h/t Sun), former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has told his the Blues to avoid signing Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as a possible replacement for Edouard Mendy.
It was revealed last month that the Blues have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Pickford amidst concerns over the future of Edouard Mendy.
The England international has divided opinions since his arrival in Merseyside from Sunderland. He is a top keeper who has mistakes in him.
Talking about the 28-year-old, here’s what Johnson said (h/t Sun):
“Mendy’s been unreal since he joined Chelsea, so you wouldn’t want to act hastily by signing a replacement so suddenly. Form is temporary but class is permanent.
“I don’t think Pickford would be a good replacement at all. Kepa’s been decent in recent games, even though I know he’s not everybody’s cup of tea.
“They’ve paid a lot for their goalkeepers, so buying somebody else isn’t the option. You’ve got to work with what you’ve got and Kepa’s doing well now he’s got his chance.”
The money Chelsea have spent on getting Kepa Arrizabalaga and Mendy is a lot. So far under Graham Potter, after the latter picked up an injury in the West Ham United game last month, the former has been doing a good job between the sticks.
It was the other way around when Kepa’s form was rotten in the early parts of the 2020/21 season and Mendy was signed to replace him and become the number one.
The Senegalese international has been tremendous for the Blues in the last two seasons. His form took a downturn in the latter stages of last season and the start of this. While that does not make him a bad keeper, there are doubts over his future along with Potter confirming that he does not view one keeper as his number. Probably means Mendy is no longer a designated number one at the club.
Irrespective of what is going to happen regarding the 2022 AFCON winner’s future, Chelsea would be right to avoid signing Pickford as his potential successor. As good as he can be on the day, the 28-year-old does have mistakes in him.
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Moreover, at Everton, he has no experience in playing out from the back, which is required of a keeper at Stamford Bridge. Hence, we do not know how good or bad his passing is under pressure.