Chelsea’s goalkeeper is making headlines as he has rejected the latest contract offer from the Blues.
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has made his stance clear on the latest contract talks between himself and Chelsea Football Club. Reports suggest the unrest in the latest offer is down to a “disrespectful” offer on behalf of Chelsea. The Senegalese keeper is looking to double his current wages which sit at £100,000 per week. This is because he wants to see his wages equal to that of backup goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, who he has started over in the majority of the last two seasons.
Eduoard Mendy joined the Blues in 2020, from French outfit Rennes for just £22 million. Since his arrival, he has made 74 Premier League appearances, keeping 31 clean sheets while on the way to 39 wins (remember, this is just in the Premier League). Impressive numbers, no doubt. In his first season with the club, he went on to lift the Champions League trophy with Chelsea in a 1-0 win over Manchester City, with Chelsea widely regarded as the underdogs in that game.
Since his performances took a slight dip towards the end of the Thomas Tuchel reign at Stamford Bridge, Mendy has been made to earn his spot, competing with the formerly out-of-favor Kepa Arrizabalaga. Kepa has taken his chances well thus far (although now injured), adding to Mendy’s complicated situation at his current club under new manager Graham Potter. So much so, that Mendy has reportedly considered calling his time at Chelsea.
Should he decide to look elsewhere for work, there are 3 clubs currently monitoring the situation. AC Milan, alongside French clubs Nice and Monaco, are all eyeing up a potential move for the 30-year-old goalkeeper. However, the keeper still has a contract with Chelsea until 2025, putting the Blues firmly in the driver’s seat for the asking demands of any incoming bids.
No matter the desires of the player side, a goalkeeper of Mendy’s quality will likely find it hard to be moved in January, leaving the summer of 2023 the most likely departure window should things continue down this road for Mendy.
Chelsea currently has 3 goalkeepers in their ranks, with the latest addition, Gabriel Slonina, joining from MLS side Chicago Fire.
Is it time for Mendy to move on, or is this just a bump in the road? What do you think?