Chelsea can make room for Ben Chilwell and Sergio Reguilon

Chelsea’s pursuit of Ben Chilwell is near its end to the crying of many, but the Blues could still pursue Sergio Reguilon and bring on both.

Many fans found out about Sergio Reguilon just a few weeks ago through the magic of transfer rumors and YouTube highlight reels. The Spaniard was, to many, the clear answer for Chelsea’s left back woes.

Then the rumors for Ben Chilwell heated up. The boo boys hated the idea of another good, young English player in an English football club. Chilwell is almost set to sign now which should wrap up Chelsea’s left back transfer business for the summer.

But the boo boys need not fear. There is still time and room for a player like Reguilon at Chelsea. He would not be an ideal fit, but he would offer something different than Chilwell’s style. There are only a few things that need to happen first.

Emerson will need to leave to make room for Chilwell. After his speed was hyped up to the heavens, many found out a simple lack of defensive effort made him more of a liability than an asset.

Marcos Alonso would surely also have to leave to make room for Reguilon. The Spaniard has time and time again fought his way back into the XI, but that is seemingly not enough. He is, of course, not perfect, but he has done a fine job for Chelsea. He is, if nothing else, more marketable than Emerson.

Assuming both go, Reguilon can be bought for his low transfer fee. There are, however, rumors that Real Madrid will want a buy back clause on the fullback’s contract. That should be a nonstarter for Chelsea. The Blues do not return to the top tier of the game by becoming a farm club. If Reguilon is to happen, he must be a Chelsea player with no asterisk attached.

All of that makes for an uphill battle to sign both Chilwell and Reguilon, but not an impossible battle. The real question is whether the club has room for both.

Chilwell is the ideal left back for Frank Lampard’s pressing and direct system. The fullback will have a heavy work load on and off the ball, but he will be given plenty of freedom to press the opponent and overlap towards goal.

Reguilon is more reserved. He absolutely has a great overlapping run in him, but it is merely one arrow in his quiver. For the most part, Reguilon stays deeper and tighter to the defense than most “modern” fullbacks. He would be great to have in a heavy possession game due to his calmness on the ball and his ability to turn it on when need be. Overall, however, he would not be the all action fullback that Chilwell would be. That is not a bad thing by any means. It is not ideal for any club to only have one type of player for each position. Variance is important.

Any move for Reguilon would be predicated on Alonso also departing and Real Madrid simply selling him outright. There is room for both the Spaniard and Chilwell, but unless things start moving on that front in a way that suits Chelsea, the Blues may be about done with their left back pursuits this summer.