13 May 2023 , 16:00
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Mauricio Pochettino hasn't officially been confirmed as Chelsea's new head coach yet, but it's only a matter of time until the highly-rated Argentine steps into the Stamford Bridge hot seat.
The 51-year-old, who has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, will be tasked with restoring the fortunes of a club in turmoil. And the former Tottenham manager has already identified his most pressing transfer priority ahead of the upcoming summer window: a new goalkeeper.
Inter Milan shot-stopper Andre Onana has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in recent weeks, while Mirror Football also understands that the Londoners are admirers of Aston Villa's World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez.
Pochettino's desperation to acquire a new goalkeeper is hardly a ringing endorsement for either Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy, who are both already on the books at Stamford Bridge.
The duo have traded the goalkeeping duties in recent years, with Kepa reclaiming the No.1 spot after a spell in the cold earlier in the season. However, Mendy was restored to the starting line-up by caretaker manager Frank Lampard for Saturday's clash against Nottingham Forest.
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Mendy did little to endear himself to Pochettino though: he was caught in no man's land in the 13th minute to gift Taiwo Awoniyi the opening goal and was heavily criticised by fans on social media.
Raheem Sterling restored parity for the Blues early in the second half, but Mendy's less-than-stellar display will have only convinced Pochettino to press ahead with plans to sign a new goalkeeper.
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Edouard Mendy made a huge mistake after being restored to the Chelsea team against Nottingham ForestMoney is unlikely to be a problem for Chelsea, who have splashed the cash since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their acquisition of the club last May; over £600million has been spent by the new regime on transfer fees to date.
And while there will be a conscious effort to trim a bloated squad this season, both for Pochettino's benefit and to meet the league's financial rules, further signings are inevitable as the club prepares to appoint a new head coach.
What that means for Kepa and Mendy is unclear. The Londoners are in a unique position at the moment with neither really regarded as a clear No.1. Kepa has been an ever-present in the team since Lampard's return, but the Blues boss opted to play Mendy instead as a reward for his impressive training performances.
He explained: "We’ve got two very good goalkeepers here that have played for us and Kepa’s playing really well. It’s certainly not an issue with Kepa but, for Edou, it’s good for him to play a game for us. He’s a top goalkeeper so that’s the decision."