Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wanted a centre-back in the summer transfer window, but the west Londoners could be set to finally grant his wish in January.
Chelsea’s defensive struggles laid bare after 3-1 defeat to Brighton
Blues legend José Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge tonight as Chelsea take on Benfica in the Champions League, and the ‘special one’ will be well aware of just how fragile his former club look defensively right now.
Trevoh Chalobah was sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity in Chelsea’s last outing, a humbling 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton, where Fabian Hurzeler’s side made the extra man count and ran out deserved winners in the English capital.
Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, which is expected to keep him out for most of 2025/2026, has undoubtedly contributed to Chelsea’s weakness at the back, and Maresca is left with precious few options right now with Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana also injured.
Chelsea are winless in the Premier League since this time last month and have conceded 11 goals in their last five outings across all competitions, with BlueCo arguably paying the price for not signing a centre-back in the summer.
Despite being one of the division’s biggest spenders, Chelsea’s priority at the time was to bring in new attackers, with no room left to bolster Maresca’s backline.
|
The Premier League’s biggest summer spenders |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Team |
Spent |
Received |
Net Spend |
|
Liverpool |
£415,000,000 |
£187,000,000 |
£228,000,000 |
|
Chelsea |
£285,000,000 |
£288,000,000 |
-£3,000,000 |
|
Arsenal |
£255,000,000 |
£9,000,000 |
£246,000,000 |
|
Newcastle |
£250,000,000 |
£152,000,000 |
£98,000,000 |
|
Man Utd |
£216,000,000 |
£68,000,000 |
£148,000,000 |
|
Nottm Forest |
£205,000,000 |
£107,000,000 |
£98,000,000 |
|
Tottenham |
£181,000,000 |
£36,000,000 |
£145,000,000 |
|
Sunderland |
£162,000,000 |
£44,000,000 |
£118,000,000 |
|
Man City |
£152,000,000 |
£53,000,000 |
£99,000,000 |
|
West Ham |
£124,000,000 |
£55,000,000 |
£69,000,000 |
|
via BBC |
|||
Chelsea did try to sign Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth, before the Spaniard’s £50 million move to Real Madrid, and Maresca strongly suggested towards the end of the transfer window that they needed another body in that area.
“The club know exactly what I think,” Maresca said after Colwill’s injury.
“I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution but as I said, the club know exactly what I think.”
Since then, reports have claimed that Chelsea could dip back into the market for a new defender mid-season, with journalist Pete O’Rourke sharing an update on this.
Chelsea and Maresca agree on “priority” signing as club work to sign centre-back
According to the reporter, in a piece for Football Insider, Chelsea and Maresca are in alignment about signing a centre-back.
Both the club and manager feel that bringing one is now a “priority” for January, with Chelsea believed to be working on defensive reinforcements for when the window reopens.
It is imperative that Chelsea back Maresca and provide the Italian with another world-class option. Tosin and Fofana’s injuries have added to his woes, as Chelsea brace to take on table-topping Liverpool this weekend with a very weakened backline.
Benoit Badiashile’s return to the fold couldn’t have come at a better time, but Chalobah will be suspended for their Stamford Bridge clash against Arne Slot’s side.
Luckily for Chelsea, the Cobham academy graduate will only serve a one-match domestic ban before returning after the international break against Nottingham Forest.
In the meantime, Chelsea’s recruitment team must get to work on finding the right profile for January, with Club Brugge starlet Joel Ordonez among BlueCo’s potential targets alongside Benfica’s Antonio Silva (Simon Phillips).
