Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has backed Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to be a success at Stamford Bridge.

The 28-year-old is expected to finalise his switch to London in the next few days and Leboeuf believes he will be an improvement on manager Frank Lampard’s current options in goal:

“He had a very good season at Rennes, I am very confident that he can do the job much better than Kepa and even [Willy] Caballero. I don’t know if there is another goalkeeper that Chelsea could find, but for that amount of money, it’s a bargain to have Mendy. He’s a tall goalkeeper, very agile and I’m sure he’s going to do the job.”

The Blues are expected to pay in the region of £22m for Mendy and, following another error from Kepa Arrizabalaga in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool yesterday, confirmation of his signature cannot come soon enough for many supporters.

As Leboeuf mentions, the Senegalese international is a tall keeper at 6ft 6, and Lampard will be hoping that he can not only provide a physical presence at the back but also be an authoritative figure who can help marshal the backline.

It was clear against Liverpool that Kepa’s time in goal for Chelsea has come to an end. Willy Caballero is expected to start the Carabao Cup tie against Barnsley on Wednesday with the club hoping to have Mendy involved for the league clash versus West Brom this weekend.