Once the new season starts and the games begin Edouard Mendy will be ready.
Not just fit and prepared to provide his usual high level of security in goal, ready for anything from the marksmen with the most deadly reputation in the game right now. Resurgent Harry Kane lines up against the Chelsea keeper for Spurs in only the second Premier League game of the season, on August 14, at Stamford Bridge.
New Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez comes to town on September 18 while Manchester City ’s new point man, Erling Haaland, follows on January 2, rested from not going to the World Cup with Norway. Mendy will need to be at his formidable best to keep all three out if Chelsea are to realise their dreams of a sustained title challenge.
But the Senegal international keeper is far from daunted by the challenge. He is already doing his homework.
“I study,” he smiled. “I study a lot. It’s not about one striker or one team - we just have to focus on every striker, every team we play to win. It’s not because it’s Haaland.
“I look at Haaland like I look at, say, Benteke at Palace - it’s not that different between Crystal Palace and City. You have to be focused because he is a striker and he can score.
“So I study. I study. We have our methods and I don’t need to say what they are. But I study a lot. A lot.”
Those methods helped Mendy play a key role in his country’s Africa Cup of Nations win back in February, frustrating Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in the final. Also Senegal’s qualification for the World Cup at the expense of the same opponents. For him the summer break was much needed to recharge his batteries and recover from a summer of wholesale change at Stamford Bridge.
"We have a new owner so it's a new era,” he said. “Some people are coming and some have left us. That’s life in the club. But we are excited to start.
“My summer was good. I enjoyed the time with my family and I think we all needed it after a long season, especially with the AFCON. I needed the break to be ready mentally and physically for the new year. Now we are.”
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This season, however, Mendy begins life at Chelsea without technical and performance adviser Petr Cech, who brought him to the club two years ago. Also Christophe Lollichon, the club’s former goalkeeping coach. Both men have been key in helping Mendy to successfully replace struggling £72million keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. He paid tribute to them both.
“Without Pete and Christoph,” he said, “ I don’t think I would be at Chelsea so I will always be grateful to them and the best way to make them proud is to be the best I possibly can on the pitch, just doing my job.”
The other Premier League exit was that of Mendy’s close friend Sadio Mane who quit Liverpool for Bayern Munich. The winger was said by many not to have received the credit he deserved for his goals and creativity. Mendy agrees wholeheartedly.
“I think it is a big loss for the Premier League in terms of quality and in terms of the person,” he said. “We’ve lost someone great and I hope for him he will enjoy the Bundesliga. He’s also a big loss because of his quality, the impact he makes and also because, for the young players, he’s an example. When you lose someone like this it can have a huge impact.”
Mendy will be hoping Chelsea can take advantage.
