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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Edouard Mendy remains the club's first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Kepa started his first Premier League match in 122 days last night and even managed to keep a clean sheet.
Chelsea signed Kepa for a world-record fee in 2018, but the Spaniard lost his confidence after a series of dismal performances. He was subsequently replaced by Edouard Mendy, who eventually became the No.1 goalkeeper at the club under Frank Lampard.
While Thomas Tuchel still trusts Mendy over Kepa, the Chelsea board are reportedly keen to give the Spaniard another chance.
The former PSG boss handed Kepa a start at Barnsley last week. Since the shot-stopper was good in the FA Cup match, the manager kept him in the starting XI for last night's win over Newcastle United.
Despite the minutes he has given Kepa, however, Thomas Tuchel has asserted that Edouard Mendy remains the first-choice goalkeeper at Chelsea.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Blues manager said:
"We need a strong Kepa in our squad. He had a good game in the cup so we decided to give him another match to build up a little bit of rhythm, confidence and to trust him, because he did very well. At the same time, we can give Edou the chance to mentally recover because it is a demanding position mentally and concentration-wise so with one decision we have both advantages."
He added:
"Edou is the number one, this is clear. It was clear before the game and it stays like this. I am happy Kepa continued with a second clean sheet. It was the moment to let him feel the rhythm and build up his confidence. It was clear before that we hoped for the best performance, but Edou will be in goal from now on as he recovered physically and mentally and right now, he is the number one."
Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea enter the Premier League top 4
Chelsea have won their last four matches in the Premier League, and this run has helped them move ahead of Liverpool and West Ham United in the standings.
The Blues now occupy 4th place on the table and sit four points behind second-placed Manchester United and third-placed Leicester City.
