Edouard Mendy is not even two years into his Chelsea career and has already achieved a substantial amount during his time at Stamford Bridge. A Champions League win, an AFCON title, a UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup, in addition to reaching a number of finals under Thomas Tuchel. It's not been a bad start to life in west London.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper has firmly established himself as Chelsea's number one figure between the posts since joining the Blues on a five-year deal in September 2020. Amid the ongoing uncertainty of Kepa Arrizabalaga's future, there is little doubt Mendy will retain his position as Chelsea's first-choice stopper as the club look to find success in a new era of ownership with a squad rebuild required.
football.london understands a new contract is planned for the Senegal international, who is currently one of the lowest-earning members of Tuchel's first-team squad. For his part, Mendy hopes that his second 18 months with the Blues can come close to matching the start of his Chelsea career.
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Asked for what he wanted, Mendy told ChelseaTV: "Health first and foremost to do our job, you need to be in good health, avoid niggles and feel good mentally. As for on the pitch, if I could relive the last 18 month of my life I'd bite your hand off right now! But either way I'm going to try to do all that can to keep helping my team. Whether that's for club when I'm picked for the national team and we'll see where that takes us."
While the Senegal international has seen a lot of success at Stamford Bridge, there have still been moments of frustration. Chelsea faced difficulties when forced to operate under a special licence when Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government, and have fallen short in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals. Mendy further suffered disappointment when he was snubbed in the Ballon D'Or voting.
He added: "Well, as you say it's been a bit of a mixture of everything. There have been some incredible moments and there have been some moments that have been a bit more difficult. As you said, after the Ballon D'Or, I think that even if you try to rise above it, unconsciously you're still affected by it. But it was also something new for me.
"You know, you learn from every challenge and I've learned from that how to deal with it. But these are things that I've experienced which have made me a better person, even if at the time it does affect us. I've also experienced some absolutely joyous moments with AFCON and the Champions League, the Super Cup, winning trophies, it becomes an addiction when you live your life in competition, you want to be in the final to win.
"I've been lucky enough to experience that at club level and with my national team, who won for the first time in our history, so it's a mix of a lot of emotions but enormously positive ones which brings huge amounts of pride to my family. And I'm really proud to see them so happy.
"For my neighbourhood Caucriauville and for my town Le Havre these are a really big deal and in Le Havre we have a big Senegalese community. So all of them were dancing in the streets, chanting my name. I've seen some videos, it's crazy stuff. So I will take the time to really enjoy it at the end of the season. But my reality is what every footballer dreams of."
Petr Cech's role in bringing Mendy to Cobham from Rennes has been well-documented, but the Chelsea legend has made a continued impact on the goalkeeper's development since the transfer too. Alongside Christophe Lollichon, who recently departed the club, Mendy found figures he wanted to impress every day in training.
He said: "Yeah of course he [Cech] meant a lot. He was a big factor in the fact that I came to Chelsea. As I've already said, Petr and also Christophe Lollichon people who, when I wake up in the morning, make me think about how I need to show them that they made the right decision.
"You have to always make them proud with your performance on the pitch. Last year I had the chance to train with Petr and that year, he hung up his boots but I had the chance to train with and had the opportunity to see what a great player he was, even if he had take the decision to take a step back from the game. But you know what they say, 'talent never dies'. I was lucky enough to see him evolve and to get advice from him every day.
"What he says is very important to me, especially from a goalkeeper who won a lot at Chelsea and is a legend of goalkeeping. So it's massively important to have his opinion and expertise, as well as what we get from the goalkeeping coaches."
Furthermore, Mendy has also developed a solid relationship with Thomas Tuchel. Many would become frustrated in being substituted ahead of penalty shootouts but it appears the German coach's straightforward and clear approach has paid dividends with the glovesman.
Mendy said: "We have a really good relationship with the coach. He's always been clear with me, he's clear with all of the players. He's always explaining things, trying to make sure the messages are understood. He's always looking to explain his decisions so there's a lot of transparency in what he does.
"That's important for the team and of course for myself too. And yeah, we have a really good relationship and we can talk about everything and nothing but when we're talking about what happens on the pitch, it's always a good exchange of ideas."
Mendy is not the first player of African heritage to prove successful at Chelsea. Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and more have fought their way to the top with the Blues and earned unprecedented success with the club. The Chelsea stopper feels the responsibility to carry on their legacy but is determined to find his own path in reach the highest echelons of the game.
He added: "It's true that their playing careers at Chelsea have ben absolutely incredible, full of titles. They have made their mark with their charisma and personality. So from that point of view I definitely have a responsibility but I try to distance myself from that pressure and to say to myself that I need to stay on my own path, follow my own road and to continue to write my own story and continue to reach the highest level possible."
