Chelsea have finally signed a new goalkeeper.Edouard Mendy's £22m move from French side Rennes was officially announced by the Blues this morning and the Senegalese will all but certainly be Frank Lampard's new number one.That will spell the beginning of the end for Kepa Arrizabalaga, with the Spaniard enduring a torrid time between the sticks over the past 12 months.Kepa was signed from Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018 for £72m, which is still a world record transfer fee for a goalkeeper.The last year really has not been kind to the 25-year-old. Errors have been frighteningly regular, he looks petrified when attempting to collect crosses and he also had the unfortunate honour of having the worst save percentage of all Premier League goalkeepers in 2019/20.
Mendy looks a far more assured presence in goal. Standing at 6'6", the 28-year-old stopped 10.2% of crosses in 2019/20, compared to Kepa's 7.2% - stats collected from Football Critic.
The Senegalese's save percentage last season stands at 78.4%, 23.9% higher than Kepa's (54.5%).
Mendy also conceded just 0.79 goals per 90 minutes, while Chelsea's *former* number one let in an average of 1.41 goals every game.
The stats speak for themselves and a video of Mendy's highlights at Rennes from @LDNFootball - which you can watch below - will only excite fans more.
Mendy looks a class act.
A commanding presence capable of effectively dealing with balls into the box and a 'keeper that can actually save long shots as well? Chelsea have missed those essential qualities for quite some time.
Whether Kepa will remain at Stamford Bridge this summer after the acquisition of Mendy is up for debate.
Unless the Spaniard genuinely believes he can win back the number one jersey under Lampard's rule, a move elsewhere is surely best for both parties.
Given the fact he's still a regular in Spain's senior squad, Kepa will likely still have a number of high-profile suitors.
Although there's no way Chelsea are recouping all of the £72m they forked out to sign him...