Edouard Mendy turned down first offer of contract extension by Chelsea
According to the Mirror (h/t Evening Standard), Edouard Mendy has rejected the first offer of contract extension by Chelsea. The opening salary offer for the contract extension was £190,000-per-week, which is less than that of the Senegal international’s understudy Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Mendy, who replaced Kepa as the club’s number one goalkeeper in 2020, is one of the lowest earners in the squad. New club bosses are keen on offering a better deal to him with the extension of his contract. His current deal expires at Stamford Bridge in 2025.
The 30-year-old’s recent form hasn’t been great, having kept only one clean sheet in six league games so far this season. Although, all of that is not down to him, a mistake against Leeds United and getting away from a potential error against West Ham United showed he is lacking in confidence.
The 2022 AFCON winner has plenty of good credit in his bank with his performances in the past. So much so that a period of lean patch can be looked at as a small chink in the armour. As they say in the game – form is temporary, and class is permanent.
Keeping all these things in mind, it is inappropriate for Chelsea to be offering their number one goalkeeper something less than the reserve player in that position.
Mendy is an experienced player who still has plenty of good years to offer to this team between the sticks. Offering him a good salary for a longer period of time will not only secure his future, but also the team in one of the critical positions on the field.
It would be good for both parties that this relationship continues, and does not get perturbed by money-related reasons. A number of errors in recent games don’t overshadow the fact that he has been stellar for us since the time he was brought to the Bridge by Frank Lampard in September 2020.
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Moreover, this is a headache Chelsea would be wise to avoid. The goalkeeping department is an area we have not had to worry about for a couple of years and for this reason alone, Mendy deserves a contract that reflects his contribution.