"I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything" - Former Chelsea star Edouard Mendy aims dig at Blues while discussing exit from club

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has opened up about his exit from the club. The 33-year-old arrived at the Blues in the summer of 2020 from Reims and played for three seasons before leaving for Al Ahli.

Mendy is coming off a fifth-placed finish with his current side in the Saudi Pro League, finishing 16 points behind winners Al-Ittihad. The Senegalese played 28 games in the competition, keeping 14 clean sheets.

Shedding light on the reason for his Stamford Bridge exit two summers ago, Mendy refuted the notion that money was the reason, telling the BBC:

“Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason (for moving to Saudi) is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything – which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”

Mendy added, taking an apparent dig at the Blues' lack of ambition:

"Al-Ahli's project came along, and they made me feel I had a big role to play. Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club's history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more."

The 33-year-old joined Al Ahli in the summer of 2023 on a deal reported to be worth £16 million, having spent a decent stint with the Blues. In 105 appearances across competitions, he kept 49 clean sheets. After a bright start to his stint, Mendy struggled before he was shipped off to his current side.

What's next for Chelsea?

Chelsea are currently in action at the new-look FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. They opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over LAFC, with Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez scoring either side of the break, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Enzo Maresca's reigning UEFA Europa Conference League winners then stumbled to a 3-1 reverse against Flamengo in their next outing despite Neto opening the scoring at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia.

However, the Blues bounced back to winning ways with a 3-0 win over ES Tunis in their final group game at the same ground to finish second in the group and qualify for the knockouts.

Next up for Maresca's side is a Round-of-16 clash with Benfica on Saturday (June 28) at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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