Chelsea's need for a new goalkeeper has been apparent for a while now, with Kepa Arrizabalaga's ability constantly being questioned pretty much from the day he arrived from Athletic Bilbao in a mammoth £72m deal five years ago.

Edouard Mendy appeared to be the solution to Chelsea's problems, but he struggled for consistency and is now on the verge of joining Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli.

Are Chelsea going to sign a new goalkeeper?

Chelsea have been linked with their fair share of goalkeepers this summer, including the likes of Leeds United's Illan Meslier, Andre Onana of Inter Milan and Porto stopper Diogo Costa.

AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan is another who has been mentioned, with Matt Law detailing in a report for The Telegraph that he remains 'under consideration'.

Is Mike Maignan an upgrade on Kepa Arrizabalaga?

Whether it is Onana, Maignan or any other high-profile goalkeeper, bringing in a new number one this summer has to be high on the list of Pochettino's priorities.

Kepa had an upturn in form midway through last season, but he otherwise underwhelmed – again – and came in for criticism from Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp following Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Everton in March.

"The keeper is so poor [for Ellis Simms' goal]. He doesn't make nearly enough saves… The keeper should do better."

Redknapp is not alone in questioning Kepa, with Gary Neville previously stating Chelsea "will not win a league with a goalkeeper that is letting goals in from outside the box and doesn't dominate his area."

That is not quite as strong as what former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot said in 2020 when labelling the Spain international "a liability". All this for the most expensive goalkeeper in history, too.

Kepa conceded at a rate of 1.17 goals per 90 minutes across 39 matches in all competitions last season, as per FBref, which compares to 0.92 for Maignan in 32 games for Milan.

That can be down to factors out of Kepa's control, of course, such as a poor defence – which would not be wrong in Chelsea's instance – but he is also outperformed in a number of other metrics.

For example, Maignan kept a clean sheet in 34.4% of matches last season, compared to 30.8% for Kepa. Maignan also saved two of the six penalties he faced, including one from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in Milan's Champions League quarter-final win against Napoli, whereas Kepa saved none of the three he faced.

Kepa is often praised for his shot-saving ability, though even that is pretty much on a par with Maignan – 73.8% of shots saved for the Spaniard compared to 73.7% for his potential future rival.

Perhaps more tellingly, Maignan is also better with the ball at his feet, completing 30.7% of his passes to Kepa's 28.5%.

Signing a player of Maignan's quality will not come cheap, with Italian outlet Corriere della Sera suggesting any possible move will cost around €70m (£60m), but Chelsea must surely now end the Kepa experiment if they are to re-establish themselves as one of the Premier League's elite.