‘Mendy is making life at Chelsea look easy’ – Lampard hails new keeper for restoring confidence

Frank Lampard has hailed Edouard Mendy for making life at Chelsea “look easy”, with a Senegal international goalkeeper slotting “seamlessly” into the fold at Stamford Bridge.

Inconsistency between the sticks had become a problem for the Blues as they persevered with £71 million ($95m) signing Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The Spaniard made a number of costly errors when asked to provide a reliable last line of defence, with his confidence suffering heavy blows on a regular basis.

It quickly became clear that change was required, with Lampard dipping back into the transfer market during the last window.

Mendy was lured away from Rennes and has kept seven clean sheets through nine appearances to date.

On the impact made by the 28-year-old at Stamford Bridge, Lampard told Chelsea TV: “I’ve been really pleased. It’s not easy and he’s made it look easy, which is the difficult thing.

“When you come from another league there are of course differences in the Premier League – the physical nature, the speed of the league – and I think it is unique in those terms.

“For a goalkeeper that has got such a spotlight on him and is having to face these differences and make relationships with the team around him, he has done it very seamlessly.

“He has settled off the pitch and is performing on the pitch, you can’t ask any more than that, and he is doing it with a smile on his face and with a really great attitude. So I’m really pleased, it’s a good start for him in a Chelsea shirt. Long may that continue.”

Mendy is proving to be the reassuring presence that Chelsea have been crying out for, with Lampard admitting that confidence built from the back has spread throughout his in-form team.

“It helps. Confidence is something that you have to build through a squad, bit by bit, from front to back,” the Blues boss added.

“But with a goalkeeper, when you are talking about defensively and the amount of pressure that you come under in the Premier League, there aren’t many games when you will have no problems and no issues. You need to build confidence.

“We have had some clean sheets lately and individuals should take a lot of credit for that, but also collectively that confidence needs to build and it needs to continue.”

Chelsea have moved into third place in the Premier League table, two points behind Tottenham and Liverpool, while positive progress is also being made through Champions League competition.