Graham Potter insists he would welcome a selection dilemma in goal for Chelsea as Edouard Mendy prepares to make his first start under the new boss.
Mendy has been out of action since picking up a knee injury in the Blues’ 2-1 win at home to West Ham in August, which came under Potter’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel.
Since then, Tuchel was sacked as head coach and replaced by Potter, who has overseen Kepa Arrizabalaga’s return to form in between the sticks.
But with Kepa now set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining an injury in their 4-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday, Mendy will come back in for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Potter said about Mendy: ‘I’ve had some good chats with him and he’s been great. Top professional, very supportive.
‘Obviously he was injured when we first arrived, so Kepa played and Kepa did well. He’s honest enough and professional enough to know that sometimes you’ve got to be patient and work hard and support the team and support Kepa, which is exactly what he did. You can’t ask any more.
‘He’s made sure he’s ready, he’s made sure he’s trained well, he’s kept his standards really high and now he’s obviously got an opportunity.
‘It’s unfortunate for Kepa that it’s come about like that, but that’s life, that’s professional football and he [Mendy] is ready.’
Mendy was first-choice goalkeeper under Tuchel, helping Chelsea win the Champions League under the German in 2021.
With the Senegal star and Kepa battling it out for a starting place, Potter is likely to have a tough decision on his hands when both goalkeepers are fit and available.
However, that is a dilemma he would welcome at Stamford Bridge.
‘You hope to have as many difficult decisions as possible all over the team,’ Potter said, ‘because then you have competition, you have good players pushing each other to improve, and that can only be beneficial for the team.’
