Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that new goalkeeper Edouard Mendy will not start in Saturday evening’s Premier League fixture against West Brom, due to the Senegal international’s lack of time training with his new teammates.
Chelsea only completed the signing of Mendy from Rennes for an initial £22m on Thursday, just over 48 hours before kick-off at the Hawthorns.
So far this season, under fire Kepa Arrizabalaga has started both Premier League fixtures, with veteran backup Willy Caballero getting the nod in the Carabao Cup this week.
Mendy is eligible to play, having been registered in time. However, Lampard has concerns about throwing the 28-year-old in at the deep end with little in the way of preparation.
“To start tomorrow, it’s not going to happen. He’s had a long week where he hasn’t really trained,” the boss said.
“He flew in yesterday [Thursday]. It just feels like too tight a turnaround to put him in contention to start the game.”
It is widely assumed that once Mendy does make his debut, he will become Chelsea’s new number one to replace Kepa as a result of the Spaniard’s poor form. Whether Kepa will stay at Stamford Bridge remains unclear but he has been linked with a loan move in the last couple of days.
Veteran summer signing Thiago Silva made his Chelsea debut in Carabao Cup this week, as did new left-back Ben Chilwell. It was a game against Barnsley which also saw fellow new arrival Kai Havertz score a hat-trick in the 6-0 thrashing.
Timo Werner has started both Premier League games since his summer arrival from RB Leipzig, but there will still be a wait for Hakim Ziyech to make his official bow in a Chelsea shirt.
The former Ajax star was Chelsea’s first confirmed summer signing, but he suffered a knee problem during a pre-season game at the end of last month and is still yet to feature. Christian Pulisic also remains out of contention, although both he and Ziyech are least back in training.
Silva and Chilwell could both start again on Saturday, but a congested fixture schedule with a Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham next midweek could see them rotated out.
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