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Chelsea fans should be excited but more can be done yet

By Michael DeVito

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Frank Lampard manager of Chelsea celebrates his teams victory over Spurs during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on February 22, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Frank Lampard manager of Chelsea celebrates his teams victory over Spurs during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on February 22, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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chelsea, kepa arrizabalaga
LILLE, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: Victor Osimhen of Lille is tackled by Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Lille OSC and Chelsea FC at Stade Pierre Mauroy on October 02, 2019 in Lille, France. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images) /

Upgrade the keeper

A recent report has indicated that Petr Cech, former Chelsea world-class keeper and now a club technical adviser, has hinted that Kepa Arrizabalaga may be retained in the squad while not dismissing the notion that a new keeper would be brought in.

Cech said:

"“Additions will be made to the squad, perhaps even in goal, and this is what is being discussed now…But nobody is giving up on Kepa and we all hope he has a great future.”"

Bringing in a new keeper is the optimum move for the Blues at this juncture. This has been explained in detail. Arrizabalaga was a 71 million pound transfer that put enormous pressure on the young keeper and to date he has not been able to live up to that massive fee and may never be able to. The best move for both the club and the keeper is to move him to another club where the stigma of that fee will not be so ponderous. Yet, whatever happens with Arrizabalaga, the Blues need a new top keeper and hopefully, this move will be completed expeditiously. A top signing would be Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan.

Rumors are also floating that Edouard Mendy, the tremendously tall keeper from Stade Rennais in Ligue 1, may be the man. Mendy is listed at 6.46′ tall (1.97 meters). That’s a sold height for a keeper. A good tall keeper is a tremendous asset. While unique keepers like Jan Oblak may be able to overcome their shortcomings in height with other-worldly athleticism and reflexes, a taller keeper with very good reflexes is a good choice much of the time. Mendy at 28 years old would fit nicely with the new Chelsea. Experienced but not too far along in years, Mendy is a good combination for the club now.

Whether or not Arrizabalaga remains with the club for financial reasons, Chelsea needs to move on with a new starting keeper. It looks like Mendy or another keeper, such as Andre Onana of Ajax, will be brought in. This is not a debatable situation. This is a must move. The keeper quality was just not good enough last season for a totally renovated club looking to challenge for titles this season.

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