Chelsea's Technical and Performance Advisor Petr Cech has revealed that he had been watching Blues shot-stopper Edouard Mendy for three years prior to his move to Stamford Bridge during the summer.
After Kepa Arrizabalaga delivered a string of questionable performances for the Blues last season, Frank Lampard, the Chelsea head coach, was desperate to bolster his goalkeeping options during a busy summer transfer window at Stamford Bridge.
After being linked with an array of goalkeepers from right across Europe, including Manchester United's Dean Henderson, Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid and Ajax's Andre Onana, the Blues switched their attentions to Rennes goalkeeper Mendy, who was something of an unknown quantity to almost every Chelsea fan.
But despite having cost the Blues a hefty £22million, the 28-year-old has already started to repay some of that transfer fee, recording five clean sheets in his first six appearances, as well as being yet to concede a goal in the Premier League.
And even though Mendy is only a matter of weeks into his Stamford Bridge career, Cech, who racked up almost 500 appearances for Chelsea as a player, as well as becoming one of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time during that period, is confident that he will only get better as time goes on.
"We had to make sure it was someone everyone agreed on, not just me," Cech told Telefoot. "It had to be the club, and especially the manager, who had to be comfortable with the choice.
"We had a list of goalkeepers. We presented it all to Frank Lampard. We talked with the scouts. We shared information. We gave the pros and cons of each goalkeeper.
"In the end, my knowledge of Edouard for the past three years helped. I think he’s a goalkeeper who can still improve, with his work, professionalism and desire to be better every day.
"I’m convinced he’ll improve more, and these aren’t the best performances you’ll see from Edouard Mendy."
