Chelsea are being linked with a number of potential new goalkeepers.
The three most likely options at this point appears to be Mike Maignan from Lille (as per Sky Sports), Edouard Mendy from Rennes (as per The Telegraph), and Alphonse Areola (as per Angelo Mangiante below).
Kepa Arrizabalaga on the bench for Spain again.
Talks ongoing between #Chelsea and #Rennes for #Mendy. #Onana and #Areola have been offered to #CFC.
Goalkeeper time. @SkySport #Transfers pic.twitter.com/8vL4B1yeSg— Angelo Mangiante (@angelomangiante) September 6, 2020
None of these targets will be replacing current stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga, merely coming in for solid competition with Frank Lampard seemingly losing his faith in Kepa.
All these keepers are much cheaper options so they present a low risk, but this also means that none of them are yet to be considered as ‘world class’ options.
However, Twitter user ‘Expected Chelsea’ has today presented a very in-depth, balanced, and honest analysis of all three goalkeepers including a bit on Kepa as well.
This is well worth the read and gives all angles on Chelsea’s targets.
With Mendy appearing the closest target right now, you will probably be more than pleased reading the conclusion of this thread…
The thread will mainly focus on three keepers – Alphonse Areola, Mike Maignan and Kepa Arrizabalaga – along with Edouard Mendy.
Data for Areola is from the 2018-19 season because he didn’t play enough in 19-20.
Data has been taken from the amazing people at @fbref.
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
Mendy is a very competent cross-collector but Maignan truly stands out in this regard. Despite his relatively small size when compared to Areola and Mendy, he is very efficient off his line.
Areola is surprisingly poor but his numbers in 17-18 were good. pic.twitter.com/djcr2dZBNM
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
In terms of sweeping, Mendy, Kepa and Areola all perform a similar number of defensive actions outside the box. Their average distance from the goal varies, however.
Maignan doesn’t seem to be a great sweeper but this may be down to tactics too. pic.twitter.com/vt1XN4Ru4P
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
That leaves us with three options – Alphonse Areola, Edouard Mendy and Kepa.
The below chart shows how they compare statistically. pic.twitter.com/V3c6TONaAq
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
Judging by just numbers, Areola should be a no-brainer target. However, there is a big catch.
He is 27 and is yet to be fully trusted at a big club. However you twist it, this is a big worry. Kevin Trapp and a past-it Buffon (his previous rivals at PSG) are hardly world-beaters.
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
That leaves us with Edouard Mendy.
Edouard Mendy is the only option to rank in the 50th percentile or better in all metrics shown above.
He is not world-class, he might never be, but he is a reliable all-round GK. He is no one-season wonder either. pic.twitter.com/JDHlJsM8dV
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
Kepa hasn’t been helped by our defence allowed a lot of big chances but this is a problem associated with most pressing teams.
No one is asking Kepa to keep out tough chances anyway. The sheer number of low and medium-quality chances he has conceded is mind-boggling. pic.twitter.com/2VoYC3wXRX
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
If he makes even a slight error leading to a goal, he will receive a storm of criticism from the media and sadly, a part of our fanbase. Can he cope with that? Let's hope so.
His parrying might worry some but it seems to be improving with time.
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
To conclude, Mendy is a smart choice. A price of £20m or thereabouts is totally justified.
In pure footballing terms, Mendy is substantially better than what Chelsea have right now. If he can take the step up mentally, Chelsea have a really solid GK on their hands.
— ExpectedChelsea (@ExpectedChelsea) September 8, 2020
