“You’d rather face Mendy”- Arsenal legend makes big Kepa Arrizabalaga claim after Spaniard’s latest injury

David Seaman heaps praise on Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and believe he would be a big miss on the weekend

Arsenal legend David Seaman believes opposition attackers would rather face Edouard Mendy rather than Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Chelsea goal. His comments come ahead of the Gunners’ visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Chelsea have two tough games lined up in the league before the FIFA World Cup break begins with a clash against top-of-the-league Arsenal on the weekend followed by an in-form Newcastle United after that.

The Blues’ have been in great form since the appointment of Graham Potter, losing just one game in the process and one of the revelations of the Potter era has been the form of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has kept five clean sheets under the new manager.

Kepa was only called for duty for an injured Edouard Mendy initially but his high performances now drew the debate of whether the Spaniard could make the no.1 position his own.

Just when things were clicking for the shot-stopper, he suffered a foot injury in our embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion and former Arsenal player and legendary goalkeeper David Seaman, while speaking on his podcast (h/t Football London) believes that opposition teams presently would much rather face Mendy than Kepa.

Seaman has had an illustrious career and was a major cog of the Arsenal team under Arsene Wenger. In total, he made 521 appearances for the club and is regarded as a club legend by many.

On the occasion of his former side meeting Chelsea on the weekend, he feels that the form of Kepa was outstanding and he would be a big miss for the Blues when the two teams meet.

“At this moment, you’d rather face Mendy because he hasn’t played for a while.

Kepa has been playing really well, there’s no doubt about that. He’s been making some big saves.”

Seaman knows the value of confidence in a goalkeeper and currently, Kepa’s confidence would have been soaring high had it not been for the injury sustained.

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Now, as it happened with Kepa, an opportunity has been presented to Mendy to reclaim his lost spot and prove to the new manager of his skills and abilities that made him a fan favourite since his move in 2020.