According to the Times, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly interested in acquiring goalkeeper Illan Meslier, leading to the club monitoring his situation.
The French keeper expressed his willingness to join Chelsea during an interview with RMC Sport. However, he stated that his preference would be to join the club only if he were guaranteed the role of the first-choice goalkeeper under Pochettino.
Following Meslier’s recent comments, the Blues’ interest in the goalkeeper has reportedly intensified, according to a reliable source from the Times.
Manager Pochettino is said to be specifically seeking a goalkeeper with strong distribution skills to facilitate his preferred style of playing out from the back.
Unfortunately, Meslier had a challenging season with Leeds United in the 2022/23 campaign, which ended in relegation to the Championship.
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He even faced being dropped by Sam Allardyce during the crucial relegation run-in due to a series of mistakes. Throughout the season, Meslier kept just five clean sheets in 34 Premier League appearances, conceding a total of 67 goals.
Despite these difficulties, his relatively low transfer fee of £5 million remains noteworthy. There is also a belief that the Leeds keeper possesses genuine talent and could flourish in a new environment.
It is worth highlighting that the 23 years old has already amassed an impressive 107 appearances in the Premier League.
Meslier achieved the milestone of 100 Premier League appearances in a 4-2 victory over Wolves in March, setting a record as the youngest goalkeeper to reach this feat.
At Leeds, Meslier often found himself exposed due to the team’s overall struggles, particularly in defense. This made his job challenging as he faced a considerable number of shots.
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However, it is anticipated that Meslier could experience significant improvement if he were to join Chelsea, benefiting from a stronger defensive line consisting of players like Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, and others.
The French star’s abilities would be better showcased and he would thrive in a more solid defensive setup.
