The goalkeeper conundrum is one of the main issues that Mauricio Pochettino must combat if he is to oversee any progression during his first season at Chelsea.
Edouard Mendy’s form has suddenly capitulated after an imperious campaign in England that culminated in the club’s second Champions League victory in May 2021.
In the final stages of last season, Kepa Arrizabalaga was the preferred choice between the sticks, but he was unconvincing and unreliable – traits that have embodied the Spaniard’s career in West London since his record-breaking £71.6m move from Athletic Bilbao.
Indeed, writer Jai McIntosh aptly summed up his campaign in 2022/23, suggesting the Spaniard had "improved" but in the grand scheme of things, was still "terrible".
As such, one player who has caught the attention of the Blues hierarchy is Mike Maignan, who would be an excellent solution to an ongoing problem.
What’s the latest on Mike Maignan to Chelsea?
According to La Repubblica (via FC Inter News), Chelsea has submitted an offer of €60m (£52m) for the AC Milan goalkeeper.
The Frenchman has previously attracted interest from the capital, as Frank Lampard was reportedly plotting a move for him in 2020, as per le10sport.
The 27-year-old’s future has been plunged into uncertainty as it has been revealed that Milan director Paolo Maldini will leave the club due to disagreements with club chairman Gerry Cardinale.
La Repubblica has announced that this has left many players perplexed, and they are now considering their futures, and the six-cap international is one of those who could be tempted to depart.
Would Mike Maignan be a good signing for Chelsea?
The £60k-per-week star has been in imperious form this season, having made 29 appearances in all competitions he conceded just 27 goals and kept ten clean sheets.
His string of impressive performances means that he ranks within the top 11% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for goals against per 90, as well as the highest 22% for his clean sheet percentage, according to FBref.
The former Lille man has been described as a "monster" by Goal's Robin Brainer and his international teammate Raphael Varane has also provided a glowing sentiment of his compatriot, saying: “Maignan is a goalkeeper who brings serenity, as well as having those skills in goal.
“He is a calm person, sure of his strengths, and it is true that as a defender, feeling this presence behind is important. It’s not just the potential he has but also the presence he has on goal.”
The ability to instil calmness within the defence is an unteachable trait, and it's something that Kepa has drastically failed to achieve.
His lack of presence and quality has been a defining theme of his troubled time at Chelsea.
Ian Wright feels the £150k-per-week shot-stopper “makes too many mistakes” and on his podcast ‘Wrighty’s House’ he added: “I cannot as a Chelsea fan look at that goalkeeper and feel like he’s going to help us win a game. I can’t see it.”
If Pochettino was able to secure Maignan it would be a huge coup and a logical step in what is set to be an exhaustive rebuild.
