Chelsea take on Rennes in the midweek Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and the fixture will see Édouard Mendy face his former club for the first time since leaving them for the Blues in the summer.
Petr Čech, the current technical and performance advisor of the west London club and also their emergency goalkeeper, admitted on Monday his side followed the Senegal international for three years.
The 28-year-old made his debut against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup tie September. Since then, he has made five more appearances, keeping a clean sheet in all of those matches.
L’Equipe also interviewed Čech, where he once again stressed about the hard work that went on behind the scenes to get the right man.
When asked about his role in helping the Premier League side sign the goalkeeper in the last window, the 38-year-old said: “At the start, it was Christophe [Lollichon, Chelsea’s goalkeeper scout) who told me about him, because he had been unemployed (in 2014-2015).
Mendy, who has made three league appearances for Chelsea, is yet to concede in the Premier League and his good start at Stamford Bridge includes an impressive display in his side’s goalless draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Čech isn’t surprised by Mendy’s impressive start to his life in England.
“No [not surprised with Mendy’s start], because he is in the continuity of his performances with Rennes,” the former Arsenal man explained.
“He is a very calm goalkeeper, who knows how to be simple and efficient, who reassures his teammates. He must continue to evolve at this level to retain his starting place, as the competition with Kepa and Willy remains open.”
