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Joe Cole informs Thomas Tuchel the ‘irreplaceable’ Chelsea player he cannot do without
Joe Cole, a BT Sport pundit and former Chelsea midfielder, has told manager Thomas Tuchel that he cannot replace Edouard Mendy, after the goalkeeper’s excellent form at the start of the 2021/22 season.
Mendy, 29, was named man-of-the-match in the European champions’ 1-0 Premier League win over Brentford.
As a result, it was no surprise to see the Yashin award nominee start in goal for Tuchel’s team in Wednesday night’s crucial Group H Champions League game against Swedish Champions Malmo.
The 29-year-old was the talk of the town ahead of the game, and Cole lavished praise on the Senegal international for his outstanding early season form in all competitions.
The former even went so far as to tell manager Tuchel that the £22 million signing is ‘irreplaceable,’ amid fears that Mendy will be absent in the new year due to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“Some of the saves he’s made over the last six months have been out of this world,” Cole told BT Sport.
“Kepa was having a real tough time so they bought Mendy in. People didn’t know if he was going to be a stop-gap or not. But he’s repaid the faith in him from Petr Cech.
“He’s arguably their most important player alongside Kante. He’ll win you games.”
Eni Aluko then went on to add: “He’s arguably Chelsea’s most important player. He’s irreplaceable.
“His omission from the Ballon d’Or list is very odd.”
Mendy had a relatively easy game in goal for Chelsea against Malmo because he didn’t have to make a single save.
This may not be the case when Norwich City visit town for a Premier League lunchtime kickoff on Saturday.
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Joe Cole informs Thomas Tuchel the ‘irreplaceable’ Chelsea player he cannot do without
