Chelsea make goalkeeper transfer decision for USA pre-season tour after Edouard Mendy exit

Chelsea's young goalkeeper Eddie Beach is expected to travel with the rest of the squad to the United States as the club prepare to keep him around the first-team this season.

The 19-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at non-league side Chelmsford but recently returned to Cobham where he has been training with the first-team. Beach joined from Southampton's academy last summer but is yet to make an appearance for Chelsea's senior side.

However, the club are keen to keep Beach around the first-team squad before assessing his situation in January. This comes following the departure of Edouard Mendy, who moved to Saudi Arabia earlier this summer, leaving Chelsea rather short in the goalkeeping department.

Chelsea have Kepa Arrizabalaga as their current first-choice, although football.london understands the club would be open to selling the Spaniard should they get a new shot-stopper in during this window. Marcus Bettinelli is the back-up to Kepa, with young American goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina expected to be loaned out.

So there is a chance Beach could be Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper for the first half of the season. Beach is already first-choice goalkeeper for Wales at Under-21s level and is very highly thought of by the Welsh FA.

"The coaches at Chelsea are unreal; they look and identify things I had not even thought of before. That focus and me working one-on-one with the coaches, I've improved so much technically in four months.

"At the same time, I had lots of minutes for the Under-21s, which is such a talented team, and working with the first-team goalkeepers has been incredible. They are role models for me and being so close to the top, it does make you want it more."

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