MX23RW : Thursday, January 30 21:27:31| >> :120:11194:11194:

Thomas Tuchel hints at Kepa Arrizabalaga chance amid Edouard Mendy struggles

Tuchel hints at Kepa chance amid Mendy struggles
© Reuters
Thomas Tuchel hints that he could bring Kepa Arrizabalaga into the side to replace Edouard Mendy, who has come under criticism for a series of errors.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has indicated that he could decide to replace Edouard Mendy with Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The Senegal international has come under criticism for a series of errors in Chelsea's opening six league games, including a mistake that allowed West Ham United to take the lead in Saturday's contest.

Mendy then made another error that nearly cost Chelsea three points, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review, which ensured that Chelsea claimed a 2-1 victory.

With Mendy's position under scrutiny, there is currently a debate as to whether Kepa should be brought into the side, despite being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Talking to reporters about the Spanish goalkeeper, Tuchel said: "Yeah, he tried [to leave]. He tried, he checked his options, which we were aware of. They were not satisfying for him, for us. So he stayed.

"I'm very happy about that. I was always very clear, directly to him that I'd love him to stay. And in my point of view, he's absolutely ready to play.

"So it's on us if we give him the chance or not. It's on us, but he is 100% ready how he behaves. How he trains is very, very good."

The Chelsea boss was then asked whether he is considering giving Kepa an opportunity to play, Tuchel replied: "First we deal with the players and then we tell you."

Chelsea have taken 10 points from their opening six Premier League matches, while they are currently preparing to face Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday.

ID:493860:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2177:
Written by
Ben Sully

Click here for more stories about Thomas Tuchel

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
West Ham United manager David Moyes talks to referee Andrew Madley after the match on September 3, 2022
Read Next:
Premier League to review VAR decisions with PGMOL
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!