Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel hints at Kepa Arrizabalaga chance amid Edouard Mendy struggles

By Ben Sully | 04 September 2022

Tuchel hints at Kepa chance amid Mendy struggles

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.