Stamford Bridge prepares for a different era under Pochettino as the next season’s squad slowly takes shape.
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy joins Al Ahli on a three-year contract ahead of the 2023-24 season.
The move ends Mendy’s three-year spell at Stamford Bridge as he joins a group of elite-level European stars arriving at the Saudi Pro League.
Mendy becomes the third Chelsea player to leave for Saudi Arabia this summer, following the transfers of N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly to Al Ittihad and Al Hilal, respectively.
According to widespread reports in English media, a fee of £16 million was reportedly agreed upon between Chelsea and Al Ahli.
Mendy, who played a crucial role in Chelsea’s Champions League victory in 2021, lost his place in the team to Kepa Arrizabalaga during the latter half of last season.
Despite being highly regarded as one of the world’s top keepers, the 31-year-old only made one appearance for Chelsea upon returning from the World Cup in Qatar.
It seems Mendy’s string of costly mistakes last season has convinced Mauricio Pochettino to choose Kepa Arrizabalaga as his first-choice keeper.
Chelsea is keen to offload unwanted players before June 30 to include the sales in their financial accounts for the 2022/23 season.
Hakim Ziyech is another player who’s on the verge of completing a move to Saudi Arabia. Confirmation is expected this week regarding Kai Havertz’s £65 million move to Premier League rivals Arsenal, following Mateo Kovacic’s transfer to champions Manchester City. Additionally, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has agreed to a £15 million move to AC Milan.
The club have also received a £55 million offer for Mason Mount from Manchester United, but they are yet to allow the homegrown star’s departure.
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