Finances in football have become so ridiculous in recent years that it’s impossible to determine what represents value for money, but it’s safe to suggest that Kepa wasn’t a bargain for Chelsea at all.
The BBC reported that Chelsea paid £71m to Athletic Bilbao to land the keeper which was a world record fee for a goalkeeper and a club record fee at the time.
In the last couple of years his confidence has gone and he just keeps making mistakes, while you could also see that the defence stopped trusting him and it was getting to the point where it was costing Chelsea games.
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Although it would be great to sign a truly established world-class keeper to replace him, the cost would be obscene and those players are rarely available, so it looks like Rennes stopper Edouard Mendy will be signed in the next few days.
Reports are starting to emerge which suggest he’s going to cost around €22m, so Chelsea may have found themselves a bargain here:
Journalists on the Rennes beat suggest total fee #CFC have agreed for Édouard Mendy is €22m (about £20.4m.
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) September 11, 2020
Chelsea’s squad is starting to look very strong and they should have the firepower to win most games, so even a semi competent keeper should be a massive upgrade on last season.
Mendy does have limited experience at the top level but he looks happy with the ball at his feet, his reflexes are sharp and he’s able to command his area well, so he does have the potential to be a top level keeper.
Time will tell how good he really is, but this looks like a great piece of business from Chelsea.