Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has made an honest admission about his move to the club and the role of Petr Cech in his decision.
The Senegal international joined the Blues back in 2020 and has gone on to lift the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup for his club alongside the Africa Cup of Nations for his country.
Arriving from Rennes under Frank Lampard, Mendy instantly improved the Chelsea defence and brought confidence to the backline, who were in fine form as the Blues lifted the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel in Mendy’s first season.
The 29-year-old admitted that he always wanted to play in London, even before Chelsea made a move to sign him through Cech and Christophe Lollichon’s recommendation.
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“England and London have always been places that I really love and with my sister living here I got used to coming here and I’ve really learned to love this city even before I became a Chelsea player. If I was going to leave France it was going to be to come to London, particularly London. So I have got everything I dreamed of,” he said when speaking to Chelsea’s official website.
“When I signed for Chelsea, I didn't need to make anything up. I just had to keep following the same steps, the same guiding principles, just everything was going to be bigger. So that’s really helped me. My family gives me balance which helps me a lot, taking on all of those expectations that are around Chelsea and around myself. That’s something that’s very important which has really helped me.”
Cech joined Chelsea as a performance and transfer advisor, playing a key role in bringing Mendy to the club.
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Lollichon previously revealed how he had informed Cech of Mendy’s quality after watching him in Ligue 1 before the Blues decided to make a move for the shot-stopper in 2020.
When asked about the importance of the Chelsea goalkeeping legend in his decision to move to Stamford Bridge, Mendy admitted: “Yeah of course, he meant a lot. He was a big factor in the fact that I came to Chelsea.
“As I’ve already said, Petr and also Christophe Lollichon, people who, when I wake up in the morning, make me think about how I need to show them that they made the right decision. You have to always make them proud with your performance on the pitch.
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“Last year I had the chance to train with Petr and that year, he hung up his boots, but I had the chance to train with him and had the opportunity to see what a great player he was, even if he had taken the decision to take a step back from the game. But you know what they say, talent never dies.
“I was lucky enough to see him evolve and to get advice from him every day. What he says is very important to me, especially from a goalkeeper who won a lot at Chelsea and is a legend of goalkeeping. So it’s massively important to have his opinion and expertise as well as what we get from the goalkeeping coaches.”
The African goalkeeper will be hoping to get his hands on more silverware across the remainder of his Chelsea career, with the Blues keen to close the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League title race next season as Mendy competes to stay as the number one in Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Topics: Chelsea, Edouard Mendy, Petr Cech, Premier League, Football
Nick Emms