Chelsea's goalkeeper position has been one of thrills and spills in recent times.
The Blues boasted stable and reliable options during the 1990s before an increase in ambition saw more talented shot-stoppers arrive at the start of the 21st century.
Chelsea can safely claim they've possessed a couple of the Premier League's all-time great goalkeepers. Here are the club's ten best since 1992.
10. Frode Grodas
Grodas' time at Stamford Bridge was short but sweet.
The Norwegian keeper made 21 appearances for the club during the 1996/97 season overseen on the touchline by Ruud Gullit. Grodas would end his brief Chelsea career by keeping a clean sheet in the 1997 FA Cup final as the Blues beat Middlesbrough 2-0.
9. Dave Beasant
The former Wimbledon signed for the Blues before the Premier League's inauguration in 1988 with much of his good work at Stamford Bridge arriving before 1992 as he departed in 1993.
Beasant was a reliable figure for Chelsea, although a freak incident involving a glass bottle of salad cream would eventually compromise his time at the club.
8. Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea succumbed to Basque Country tax in 2018 when they decided to make Kepa the most expensive goalkeeper of all time. The Blues spent over £70m to sign the young Spaniard from Athletic Club.
Kepa has since embarked on a rollercoaster of a career in west London and probably wouldn't have made this list had he not enjoyed a timely resurgence over the past 18 months.
Despite his recent upsurge, the monster fee spent by Chelsea means the keeper will be remembered as one of the worst signings in Premier League history.
7. Kevin Hitchcock
Like Beasant, Hitchcock joined the club in 1988 and enjoyed a prolonged career in west London. However, the Englishman notched just 96 appearances during his 13-year stay.
Hitchcock was a reliable shot-stopper who very rarely made mistakes. However, persistent injury issues prevented him from establishing himself as the club's number one for a sustained period.
6. Dmitri Kharine
The joggers-donning Russian was Glenn Hoddle's favoured keeper at the start of his tenure as Chelsea boss, with Kharine usurping Beasant and Hitchcock in the depth chart.
His form reflected his unique appearance as Kharine was a rather exciting goalkeeper to watch. You never knew what you were going to get. Sure, there were errors and the Russian was far from consistent, but he knew how to pull off the spectacular and was particularly impressive in Europe.
5. Edouard Mendy
Some might run him close, but an argument could be made that no Chelsea goalkeeper had more of an immediate impact than Mendy.
Signed in September 2020 due to Kepa's erratic form, the Senegal international quickly usurped the Spaniard and embarked on a quite remarkable debut season which culminated in a clean sheet in the 2021 Champions League final.
Mendy was named FIFA's Goalkeeper of the Year and seemed destined to guard Chelsea's posts for the long haul. However, he struggled to replicate his first-season form in year two as Kepa came back into the picture.
Mendy's swift rise and sudden fall was complete in 2022/23 and he's since signed for Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli.
4. Ed de Goey
The Dutchman was a remarkably consistent figure in the Eredivisie for Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord and his first few years at Chelsea were of similar ilk.
De Goey was first choice during the Blues' successful League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup campaigns in 1998 as well as their FA Cup triumph in 2000.
Despite his steady form in his first three years at the club, De Goey became a peripheral figure after Carlo Cudicini joined the club permanently in the summer of 2000.
3. Carlo Cudicini
Speaking of whom, the Italian somewhat came out of nowhere to displace De Goey as Chelsea's number one.
Cudicini made just three appearances during his loan spell before signing in 2000. He then started to battle the Dutchman for the starting berth and quickly won the job.
Another threat emerged in the form of Mark Bosnich, but Cudicini's stellar form meant he retained his status as the starter. The Italian was named the club's player of the year by fans in 2002 and was recognised as one of the Premier League's best by the time Roman Abramovich joined the party.
The ambitious Blues then opted to provide stiffer competition for Cudicini, who started to suffer from injuries, with Petr Cech arriving in 2004. This proved to be an unwinnable battle for the former Lazio man, but he remained at the club for several years as a more than capable deputy.
2. Thibaut Courtois
Chelsea played the long game with Courtois after signing him from Genk in 2011. He was loaned out to Atletico Madrid, where he established himself as one of Europe's premier shot-stoppers.
Upon his return in 2014, Courtois immediately became Chelsea's starting GK as Jose Mourinho guided the Blues to their third Premier League title. The Belgian proved to be the rightful successor to Cech at Stamford Bridge with Courtois winning a second Premier League title in 2017 (as well as the Golden Glove).
While his departure from the club was somewhat acrimonious, there's no doubting Courtois' status as Chelsea's second-best goalkeeper of the Premier League era.
1. Petr Cech
Courtois was good, very good in fact, but he was no Petr Cech.
Signed in 2004 from Rennes, very few expected the Czech international to enjoy the career he did at Chelsea.
Cech played a pivotal role in the Blues' most successful period ever as they boasted a formidable defensive record during their first two title wins. He was a superstar keeper and regarded as one of the world's best throughout his time in west London.
Cech won 13 major honours with the Blues, won three Premier League Golden Gloves, was twice named in the PFA Team of the Year and was recently named in the Premier League Hall of Fame.
A modern-day Chelsea legend.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
This article was originally published on 90min as Chelsea's Premier League goalkeepers - ranked.
