Chelsea: Should the lack of links to defenders scare fans?

Chelsea has seemingly been linked to every position, except the position that needs tending to most, centerback. Should this worry fans?

Over the course of the restart—and even in the months prior—transfer rumors linked Chelsea to every position under the sun. However, the position not seemingly getting any love is centerback. The lack of whispers around the position is starting to worry fans considering the Blues’ defensive woes down the stretch.

Rest assured, Chelsea will buy central defenders in the summer transfer window—which we now know will be open from July 27 to October 5. Thus far, despite buying both Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, the Blues have only seriously been linked to Declan Rice. Rice, a defensive midfielder at West Ham, can play centerback and it’s rumored Frank Lampard would be keen to test him out there. The reason Chelsea has yet to be connected with other defenders is two-fold: Lampard is too considerate of other teams, and his own players, to discuss transfer links and there is a shortage of world-class central defenders on the market.

Lampard seldom speaks about players that are not his own, a belief many managers have. Regardless, the gaffer is not ignorant. Everybody and their mother knows about Chelsea’s issues at the back. The Blues defense has given up 49 goals in their domestic campaign this season—worse than any other top 10 side in the Premier League. In order to maximize the production of the top-tier attack Lampard and his staff is putting together, issues at the back need fixed. Chelsea needs a Virgil van Dijk-like addition.

Kurt Zouma is a wonderful defender, the most talented of the bunch, but Lampard is not going to throw the rest of the unit to the wolves. Centerbacks will be moved around this summer; some players will come in and others will go out. Lampard has failed to touch on this subject in press conferences because he’s too considerate to all parties involved and truthfully, he may still not know what direction he wants to go in at the back. One thing is clear, however, Chelsea is going to have a plethora of options available come the end of the season.

The other reason the Blues are not linked with many central defenders is because there aren’t many world-class centerbacks available. Chelsea already has one piece of the center-half puzzle in west London with Zouma, now the club needs a world-class leader to pair him with. Of the world’s elite, only two centerbacks seem to be leaning toward an exit—Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano. The latter makes more sense for the Blues to chase, but the links have still failed to materialize.

Koulibaly is undoubtedly one of the world’s best, but his age is the factor that sees Chelsea turn the other way. Koulibaly, 29, is a bit older than any player Lampard is looking to bring in for such a hefty fee. Upamecano is 21 years old. His transfer fee will be cheaper, he’s got a relationship with Werner—Chelsea’s newest addition—and he’s significantly younger. He makes the most sense of all the top tier defenders. Lampard’s scouts are going to have to dig deep to find an elite centerback, but they won’t overthink things.

Another cause for concern amongst Chelsea fans is the murmurs of Zouma’s potential exit. This exit would be an awful personnel decision by the club, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. The Blues have been linked to the likes of Nathan Ake, Gabriel and Rice on multiple occasions. None of these prospects are necessarily world-beaters, but when paired with a top center-half, the Blues’ defense would thrive. Further, there are dozens of defenders—if not hundreds—Chelsea has scouted this season. The players may not be rumored to move to west London just yet, but that doesn’t rule out a deal. Look no further than the Werner transaction to see talks can develop quickly in the cut-throat world of football.

In the end, with the Blues spending as much money as they have been thus far, there are no reasons to worry. Lampard’s at the helm and if this first season has taught fans anything, it’s that he knows what’s best for Chelsea Football Club.