Chelsea are prioritising signing a starting-level centre-back in the upcoming summer transfer window with Liam Rosenior admitting he wants to add physicality to his squad
In the immediate aftermath of Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, in what was a humbling evening for the Blues, head coach Liam Rosenior did not hide too much when asked about the club’s transfer plans in the summer.
The question Rosenior was asked contained the word ‘physicality’ and whether Chelsea needed more of that specific attribute. He replied: “Yeah, even over the last week, we’ve had lots of detailed conversations about what we need to look like moving forward from the summer window.
“You talk about all different aspects of the game; physicality, technicality, positional things. They are all things that we are in talks [about] and we know what we want to improve and we know where we want to improve in the summer.”
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Rosenior named three attributes there but what stood out was the mention of physicality. At the moment, Chelsea have a deep pool of centre-back options but football.london understands the club’s priority is to add a starting-level player in the same area.
Chelsea tried to sign Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes in the January window but he instead opted to move to Liverpool in the summer. There was also interest in Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi and Como defender Jacobo Ramon but we are yet to see whether those two will be revisited in the summer window.
Levi Colwill has missed the entirety of the season thus far due to a serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The 23-year-old defender is in full training with the rest of the squad and is expected to return to competitive action before the campaign concludes, though the club will treat the Cobham graduate with care and patience.
Colwill is an excellent defender, someone the club see in their long-term vision, but he is not the most physical centre-back. Chelsea are on the hunt for someone to partner Colwill in the long term, who is also able to excel in the physical battles. One option could be Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool.
The 26-year-old’s contract at Anfield is due to expire at the end of the season and reports claim the two parties are not too close to an agreement over an extension. Konate has been a regular in Liverpool’s side for the last few seasons, including when they won the Premier League title last time out.
Only five defenders have won more aerial duels than Konate (101) in the Premier League this season. Only James Tarkowski (199) and Virgil van Dijk (189) have won more duels than Konate (185).
Konate is also in the top 10 when it comes to tackles (47). It is worth noting, of course, that the France international has not been at his brilliant best this season and has made a number of high profile unforced errors in a struggling Liverpool side.
There is no doubt, though, that Konate is a superb centre-back on his day. See last season, for instance, when Konate was one of the best defenders in Arne Slot’s league-winning team.
Elsewhere, Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton continues to impress. Van Hecke is in the top 10 when it comes to duels won (168), interceptions (34) and tackles (45) when it comes to centre-backs in the Premier League.
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea end up bringing a centre-back in from the Premier League. As reported by football.london earlier this month, BlueCo are planning to slightly tweak their transfer strategy in the upcoming summer window. Premier League proven players will be targeted in what is set to be another busy summer in terms of incomings at Stamford Bridge.
