28 June 2023 , 18:22
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Chelsea's mass summer exodus continued on Wednesday as they confirmed the departure of Edouard Mendy.
The Senegal goalkeeper has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli on a permanent transfer - three years since moving to Stamford Bridge from Rennes. He won the Champions League in his first season at Chelsea, before keeping 23 clean sheets in his second year as the Blues reached the FA Cup and Carabao Cup final.
However, Mendy struggled during the 2022/23 campaign and dropped down to second-choice behind Kepa Arrizabalaga, who impressed when he was handed the chance. And boss Mauricio Pochettino, who was appointed as the club's new manager last month, has chosen to stick with Arrizabalaga.
Mendy, 31, has therefore been allowed to leave and endure a new chapter in his career. The former Reims stopper has decided to venture to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli and follows several big-name European stars to make the switch to the Middle-East. In fact, two of his former Chelsea teammates had already made the move.
Edouard Mendy has left Chelsea to join Al-Ahli (Getty Images)N'Golo Kante swapped Chelsea for Nuno Espirito Santo's Al-Ittihad last week, while Kalidou Koulibaly was confirmed as a Al-Hilal player on Sunday. Karim Benzema and Ruben Neves are amongst the others that have joined the Saudi Pro League, while Hakim Ziyech is expected to sign for Al-Nassr.
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As for Mendy, his short but sweet Chelsea career has now come to an end, having helped the Blues win the Champions League for the second time in 2021. He was excellent in the final against Manchester City and shone under both Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel in west London.
But Roy Keane was not a big fan of Mendy. The ex-Manchester United midfielder chose to slam the keeper for his performances at the World Cup in December. "You mentioned their goalkeeper, Senegal's," Keane told ITV. "I think he is a weak link for them. He's not that great. And he's certainly not (the form he was in a year ago)."
Edouard Mendy spent three years at Chelsea (Getty Images)Graham Potter decided to hand Kepa a rare start in his first game in charge of Chelsea last October, and the Spaniard has not looked back. He played in 29 of Chelsea's next 32 Premier League matches before the end of the season, keeping nine clean sheets in the process.
The Blues are still expected to sign at least one new goalkeeper this summer, even if Pochettino decides to stick with Kepa as his first-choice. Andre Onana has been heavily linked with a move to west London, while Jordan Pickford and David Raya have been mentioned as possible other targets.
Chelsea are also set to strengthen other areas of the pitch. Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo is supposedly being lined-up by the Blues after losing both Mateo Kovacic and Kante, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek also set to depart in a £18m transfer to AC Milan.