Journo claims Chelsea tried to sign Manchester United ace Dean Henderson before landing Edouard Mendy
Speaking to The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils Podcast, as quoted by The Express, Andy Mitten revealed that Chelsea tried to sign Dean Henderson from Manchester United before bringing in Edouard Mendy.
The Senegalese has been one of our standout players in the past year. His shot-stopping abilities and reflexes between the posts played a huge role in the Blues lifting the UCL title in May.
However, Chelsea almost did not sign the 29-year-old. Last summer, Frank Lampard was on the lookout for a goalkeeper after the dire performances of Kepa Arrizabalaga. But before approaching the African, they made a £50million offer to sign Dean Henderson from Man United.
Andy Mitten recently revealed this transfer saga on The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils Podcast.
“Chelsea had offered £50m to United for Dean Henderson when they were last looking for a goalkeeper, around the start of the previous [2020-21] season.”
No regrets
Thankfully, the Blues did not wait long to hear back from Man United and went on to sign Mendy. Henderson is not a bad choice and is a fine goalkeeper, but he has not been able to oust David de Gea from his starting spot at Old Trafford.
The Chelsea star instead has kept 23 clean sheets in 45 Premier League appearances and has been the bedrock of our title challenge this campaign. In fact, his presence has also made Kepa far more confident as he is not the one under pressure anymore.
Moreover, the goalkeeper was signed for less than half (£22million) of what the Blues offered Man United for the 24-year-old Englishman. Henderson could have been an ideal long-term option in goal, but given the professional life of a shot-stopper, Mendy could play for several more years.
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The Senegalese international has come under scrutiny of late after his howler at West Ham on the weekend. However, the best players bounce back immediately and he would be expected to do the same in the coming weeks.