Stat Attack: The numbers that prove Kepa has overtaken Mendy as Chelsea’s best goalkeeper

When Edouard Mendy departed for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after the 2-2 draw against Liverpool on the 2nd of January, Chelsea fans were worried about losing their best goalkeeper for such a long period.

But while Mendy was away winning the 2021 AFCON, Kepa was winning the hearts of Chelsea fans with superb performances.

Kepa played eight games in Mendy’s absence across four competitions and kept four clean sheets while conceding six goals.

He had several memorable moments including big saves against Manchester City and Al Hilal, as well as the penalty save against Plymouth in extra time to win Chelsea the game.

Mendy’s AFCON journey has been a big blessing to Kepa, who had only previously played five games for Chelsea this season but played eight while Mendy was away, taking his total to 13 games so far.

In those 13 games for Chelsea, Kepa’s stats compare favourably to Mendy’s and gives Thomas Tuchel a lot to think about when selecting his first choice for subsequent games.

Kepa has kept seven clean sheets, which is 46 per cent of his total games this season, identical to Mendy who has kept 12 clean sheets in 26 games, also 46% clean sheet percentage.

The Spaniard conceded eight goals in 13 (0.61 goals per game) while Mendy has shipped in 18 goals in 26 games at a rate of 0.69 per game, giving Kepa the slight edge.

It gets more interesting when one considers saves. The former Athletic Bilbao shot-stopper has made 41 saves compared to Mendy, who has 62 saves. However, bear in mind that the Senegal international has played twice as many games this season. Mendy’s save percentage of 77% is also dwarfed by Kepa's 84%.

Kepa is also the better penalty stopper, saving the only penalty he has faced (excluding shootouts) this season, while Mendy has conceded all four penalties he has faced.

It has taken a while, but Kepa is finally looking like the player Chelsea paid a goalkeeper’s world record fee for in the summer of 2018.

For the first time since Mendy joined Chelsea, Kepa looks like a first-choice goalkeeper again and could potentially pose a bigger threat.

For the Blues, this is a win-win situation: they get to keep two world-class goalkeepers and sell off whoever loses the battle for good money.  It remains to be seen how they handle the situation from a coaching point of view though, especially in Chelsea’s next game: the FIFA Club World Cup final against Palmeiras.