Graham Potter won't get much sympathy from managers around the world when it comes to his squad choices. The small violins will be out in force as the new coach tries to look at his squad on the pitch and also balances that with rotation, fixture congestion and form.
With £93m worth of goalkeepers alone, Potter's resources at Stamford Bridge are in a world of their own compared to most Premier League sides. His choice will be a tough one nonetheless though. It was Kepa Arrizabalaga - £71m worth of goalkeeper - that played in Potter's only game in charge so far against RB Salzburg, and it's hard to know if it was out of choice of necessity.
The Spaniard featured whilst Edouard Mendy - a mere £22m worth of keeper - was out injured. The debate comes after Kepa played in the Champions League opener under Thomas Tuchel though.
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Mendy's injury has coincided with his worst period of form in the two years he's been in England, with Kepa's competition well placed to make him a decent alternative when Mendy is rotated or injured. Now Potter has a choice to make. With Mendy returning from injury - he missed Senegal's international break by returning to Cobham instead - there is a point to make for Kepa keeping his place.
There is also the decision as to whether Mendy will be Potter's number one regardless of fitness. The 47-year-old values his keepers' ability to play with the ball at their feet and Kepa is arguably much stronger than Mendy at that, but does it make much sense to swap out a Champions League winning keeper for one that was in need of replacement?
The hope is that Chelsea can return to having two strong keepers at the club and that should be helped by new goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts. The well-established member of Potter's backroom team took a certain Nick Pope under his wing as coach at Charlton and helped the 30-year-old to become one of the best stoppers in the league.
Pope has thrived at Newcastle this season and despite his mistake in England's 3-3 draw against Germany, he has shown impressive form since joining Eddie Howe's men this summer.
Chelsea themselves had thought about springing a move for Pope whilst he was at Burnley but were recommended Mendy by Petr Cech and former goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon. Mendy has been a very good buy for Chelsea but with Potter new through the door he will have to prove himself like every other player.
At Brighton, the man behind Pope's initial rise helped Bobby Sanchez hit new heights and now he is tasked with finding Chelsea an answer to Cech or Thibaut Courtois. The regard in which Roberts is held should do the keepers some confidence, with the Athletic writing that "Sanchez was in tears when he heard he’d left" to join Potter at Stamford Bridge.
Although it is coincidental, Mendy's form has dropped since Cech left Chelsea and Hilario is still paving the way to be a world-class coach, Roberts' arrival will hopefully have the same upturn as Potter is aiming for throughout the side.
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