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Chelsea keep, sell, buy ahead of the 2021/22 campaign: Centrebacks

By Akshat Mehrish

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Andreas Christensen of Chelsea passes the ball whilst under pressure from Gylfi Sigurdsson of Everton during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on March 08, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Glyn Kirk - Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Andreas Christensen of Chelsea passes the ball whilst under pressure from Gylfi Sigurdsson of Everton during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on March 08, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Glyn Kirk - Pool/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Fikayo Tomori of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup fourth round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 29, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around United Kingdom remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Fikayo Tomori of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup fourth round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 29, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around United Kingdom remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus) /

2. Sell/Loan

Chelsea’s decision to send Tomori out on loan puzzled more than a few supporters. What made it even worse was the fact that AC Milan, Tomori’s current club, managed to insert a buy option in the six-month loan deal, thus enabling it to purchase the youngster outright at the end of the current season.

AC Milan director Ricky Massara has been among the people singing Tomori’s praises following a string of strong performances. When speaking to reporters ahead of the club’s match against Udinese, he told DAZN (via SempreMilan) this:

"“The boy proved to be strong, he integrated well. We are convinced of his qualities, there is a very high option to buy and we will evaluate whether to go on but we are very satisfied with his impact so far.”"

Tomori’s future at Stamford Bridge is out of the club’s hands at this point and it is extremely likely that he leaves on a permanent basis in a few months’ time.

Chelsea must also evaluate the futures of Malang Sarr and Ethan Ampadu. The latter has been loaned out for successive seasons, albeit to little effect. Ampadu barely played at Leipzig and has been in the thick of a relegation fight with Sheffield United. Selling him following the conclusion of the current season could be a mistake, given his high ceiling. However, the prospect of another loan—particularly if Tuchel decides against keeping him around for the season—could push him toward a permanent exit.

Sarr is another player stuck in the limbo between a loan move and the first team. Chelsea made a low-risk investment when it picked up the Frenchman on contract expiry from OGC Nice last summer and loaned him to Porto. Although he fits in the profile of the type of centreback Chelsea lacks (primarily left-footed), the Blues might first loan him out to a better league next season to continue his development.

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