Contrary to belief, if Chelsea must invest heavily, they should do so for a world-class centreback or two, not an elite winger. Sorry, Jadon Sancho fans.
Defensive fragility was one of the most worrying trends of Chelsea’s current campaign, with Frank Lampard constantly mixing and matching between Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori, but unable to find one solid partnership between the four.
While the manager’s constant shake-ups might not have helped, the players failed to prove themselves. Lampard’s admission that Mason Mount and Tomori would have been out on loan had it not been for the transfer ban has proved to be true as both youngsters, despite showing flashes of potential, have struggled for spells this season. The difference is that Mount has played week in, week out, due to his importance to Lampard’s system and grown over the period as a player. The same cannot be said about Tomori, who needs to be loaned out for regular football, which is pivotal for the development of a centreback.
Should Tomori leave on loan, Lampard could bring back highly rated Ethan Ampadu. Ampadu not only provides depth at centre back but also at defensive midfield, if required.
After one good and one mediocre year, Andreas Christensen should be afforded one final season to prove his worth at the club. While he was on the fringes for most of the season, the Dane came back strongly in the second half, before coronavirus played the spoilsport.
That leaves us with Rudiger and Zouma.
Injury-prone, highly inconsistent Rudiger should have been commanding the role of the defensive leader of the team. His inability to do so creates the requirement to replace him with somebody who can.
Should Chelsea want to further solidify the backline, Zouma, who is solid while defending but awkward on the ball, would have to be sacrificed. Both players would fetch hefty transfer fees, which can be used wisely to secure better replacements.
The primary target for this revamp should be RB Leipzig’s French sentinel, Dayot Upamenco. The young Frenchman has done well to ignore the hype and speculation around him. He quietly gets on with his development in Germany, to the point where he is regarded as the best defender in the league.
Physically dominant with great positional sense and explosive recoveries, Upamecano’s defensive abilities are exactly what Chelsea needs. His ball-playing abilities make him the perfect candidate to lead Lampard’s defence.
On top of that, he is still just 21, so there is huge upside into making this investment, whatever the cost. After all, any player who can stop an in-form Robert Lewandowski is special.
As for the second purchase, Lampard could go two directions. Shall he insist on a left-footed ball-playing centre back, now is the time to coax Alessio Romagnoli out of financial-limited AC Milan. The Italian possesses elite defensive acumen and exceptional leadership skills that would be wasted at a club severely mismanaged by the hierarchy.
On the other hand, Lampard could opt for an experienced player to guide his younger counterparts. Nobody fits that role better than Kalidou Koulibaly.
Should Napoli relax their stance over him and settle for reasonable terms, it would be a no-brainer to have this juggernaut dominate English football for a couple of seasons the way Virgil Van Djik has for Liverpool, while acting as the perfect mentor for the likes of Upamecano, Christensen and Ampadu.
Bottom line: Centreback is a very high priority for Chelsea. They have been linked to Samuel Umtiti, Gabriel Maghaeles and Marash Kumbulla. Dayot Upamecano, Alessio Romagnoli and Kalidou Koulibaly should be their top priorities.