“No longer the case at Chelsea” – Former Blue accuses club of not competing for top trophies | OneFootball

Edouard Mendy was quite the shooting star at Chelsea.

He came in as a relative unknown and was brilliant for a year, looking like our best goalkeeper for years and helping us to win a Champions League.

However his form suffered quite suddenly after that, and without much warning he left for Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli. When he went, there weren’t huge objections from Blues fans, who had seen him struggle. If those fans had known he was going to be replaced by Robert Sanchez, we suspect there would have been more complaints.

“Project” attracted Mendy to Al Ahli move

As always when players go to the Saudi Pro League, the assumption is that they’re going for the astronomical wealth they receive. However Mendy insists it was because of the “project” there and how they made him feel like he 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,” he said in an interview with the BBC.

Mendy takes shot at fading Chelsea

He also took a parting shot at his old club, who he accused of having fallen away from competing for the top trophies since the new ownership took over.

“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.”

It’s a stinging accusation – there’s no doubt that the team have not competed for the Premier League or Champions League since he departed.

However, having qualified for Europe’s top competition for this season to come, there’s a chance to change that.