Chelsea boss Graham Potter backs Edouard Mendy to come good and give him a selection headache when Kepa returns
Speaking to the media ahead of the Dinamo Zagreb game (h/t Football.London), Chelsea boss Graham Potter talked about Edouard Mendy being ready to take up his chance and backs the Senegalese to give him a selection headache when Kepa Arrizabalaga returns from injury.
When Potter first arrived at the club, Mendy, the then first-choice keeper in the squad, was out injured. So, the manager went with Kepa between the sticks.
The Spaniard, who has had a rough time in a Chelsea shirt, took his chance with both hands and performed splendidly. He helped the team keep five clean sheets in 11 games. Now, the roles are reversed though, as Kepa is injured, offering Mendy a chance to stake his claim on the side.
Here’s Potter talking about the options he has in this department and how ready Mendy is to take his opportunity (h/t Football.London):
“Yeah, I’ve had some good chats with him. He’s been great, top professional, very supportive. Obviously was injured when we first arrived so Kepa played and Kepa did well. He’s honest enough and professional enough to know that sometimes you have to be patient and work hard and support the team and support Kepa which is exactly what he did.
We can’t ask any more and he’s made sure he’s ready, he’s made sure he’s trained well and he’s kept his standard really high and now he’s got an opportunity. It’s unfortunate for Kepa that it’s come about like that. That’s life, that’s professional football and he’s ready.
Well, you hope so [difficult decision between the two]. You hope you have as many difficult decisions as possible all over the team because you’ve got competition, you’ve got good players pushing each other to improve and that can only be beneficial for the team.”
Fortunately, the game against Dinamo Zagreb is a dead rubber for Chelsea having already qualified for the next round of the Champions League as group toppers. So, this could be an ideal time for Mendy to come in with not a lot at stake and perform well.
However, with Kepa’s injury still not healed, the Senegalese international could continue to don the gloves for an important league game coming up against Arsenal at the weekend. Now, that will be a game with a lot riding on.
Consequently, it would be an opportunity for him to show why he was the club’s first-choice keeper till the start of this season.
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Chelsea are lucky to have two top-class goalkeepers in their squad. Marcus Bettinelli, the backup choice, is not a bad option as well. Hence, whoever comes in to replace an injured player, is expected to do well and cause problems for the manager when everyone is back fit.