Chelsea: Lewis Dunk pens new Brighton deal, puts rumors to bed
Lewis Dunk signed a new five-year extension with Brighton, therefore ending any speculation that Dunk would switch to Chelsea.
Another one bites the dust. Chelsea has been linked with a number of centerbacks so far this summer, but few options still remain. The Blues’ interest in Gabriel Magalhaes is seemingly non-existent any longer as Manchester United, Arsenal and Napoli scrap for his services. Further, Lewis Dunk is now off the table, as well.
Dunk signed a new five-year deal with Brighton, becoming the club’s highest paid player on Friday. The 28-year-old had been linked to Chelsea on numerous occasions due to his lifelong support for the Blues and his talent on the pitch. Dunk has emerged as one of the best central defenders outside the big six in the Premier League, thus justifying the links to the west London club.
In the end, Dunk remaining at Brighton as opposed to making the switch to Stamford Bridge is probably for the best. The soon to be 29-year-old was not a big enough improvement to the Chelsea defense to justify the signing. Although supporters are willing to try anything at this point, Dunk simply is not the answer to the issues at the back.
Further, the south coast club’s asking price was far too high for what Chelsea was willing to pay. The Seagulls valued Dunk at around £40-50 million, which is an absurd amount for the Blues to fork over. Following inflated deals for other Englishman, Harry Maguire and Danny Drinkwater, Brighton thought it’d be smart to cash in on Dunk when it could. However, Chelsea wasn’t falling for that trick again. In the end, Dunk signed a new deal to stay with Brighton and the Blues avoided another PR and financial disaster—everybody wins.
Fans will likely be outraged that Frank Lampard and company decided not to take a flyer on the Brighton skipper, but the supporters are blowing the whole centerback issue out of proportion. In the end, it’s well documented Lampard likes his options in central defense and even if the Blues do make a move, there’s no rush. The transfer window remains open for another month and a half, so there is plenty of time for Chelsea to call on defensive reinforcements.
Hours before news of the Dunk extension broke, significant talks between Chelsea and Thiago Silva surfaced. Silva turns 36 next month and it set to leave PSG on a free transfer following the conclusion of the Champions League final in a matter of days. Chelsea is one of the few clubs interested in the PSG captain and while he doesn’t offer a long-term solution to the Blues’ defensive woes, many believe he can be a perfect stopgap.
Next. Thiago Silva joining would show Chelsea has not learned their own lessons. dark
Only time will tell how these transfer tidbits work out for Chelsea. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this transfer window it’s that no two fans can seem to agree on the same centerback target. Whether you’re a fan of Dunk, Silva, neither or both, just remember that Lampard’s taken the reins and he’s got things under control.