Edouard Mendy has joined Al-Ahli from Chelsea (Photo: Al-Ahli)
Edouard Mendy thanked Roman Abramovich but made no direct mention of Todd Boehly in his farewell message to Chelsea fans.
On Wednesday, Mendy’s departure from Chelsea was confirmed with the goalkeeper joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
He has become the latest Blue star to be sold in their summer firesale and the third to move to Saudi Arabia following N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly, with Hakim Ziyech set to follow.
The 31-year-old leaves Stamford Bridge a hero for his role in winning the Champions League in his maiden season at the club following a £21million transfer from Rennes in 2020.
Victories in the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and the Africa Cup on Nations with Senegal followed, and he was named The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper in 2021.
However, his form began to decline in his second season before falling off a cliff completely in the last campaign, keeping just one clean sheet in 17 appearances with bad injuries plaguing him.
It was in 2022/23 that Chelsea were taken over by Boehly’s consortium, replacing Abramovich who was forced to sell the club in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine due to his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Chelsea’s fortunes have drastically changed for the worse since Todd Bohely replaced Roman Abramovich (Photo: Getty)
The west London club has suffered both on the pitch and off it since then, with Bohely widely criticised for his brash and naïve approach to the game.
Clearly there is no love lost between the new owner and Mendy who failed to mention the American by name in a post on Instagram where he said goodbye to the club.
‘Chelsea, as I prepare to begin a new chapter in my career, it’s hard to say goodbye,’ he posted alongside photos of his Blues career.
‘It has been an incredible three years wearing the Chelsea jersey, during which we achieved great success, including winning the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
‘I want to sincerely thank Roman, Marina [Granovskaia], Petr [Cech], Christophe [Lollichon, a former Chelsea goalkeeping coach], and the entire staff who made it possible for me to represent this prestigious club. I am thankful to my coaches and all the staffs for the invaluable lessons and growth I experienced.
‘A special thanks goes to all my teammates for the unforgettable journey we shared together. I also want to extend my deep gratitude to all the fans for their unbelievable support throughout my time at Chelsea.
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‘Although it’s time for me to turn a new page. I sincerely wish the club continued success with the new owners and numerous titles in the years to come. Edou.’
Granovskaia and club legend Cech were hailed for their work under Abramovich as director of football and sporting director respectively, but were quickly dismissed by Boehly whose decision to appoint himself as interim-sporting director proving to be a complete disaster.
Several of Mendy’s former teammates replied to his post to wish him luck, including Reece James and Mason Mount, while Frank Lampard, the manager who signed him for Chelsea said: ‘Good luck Edu.. a Gentleman and fantastic goalkeeper.’
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The goalkeeper has joined Saudi side Al-Ahli.
