Should Chelsea pursue Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters?

Chelsea has seemingly held more concrete conversations regarding transfers this week than in the two months prior. The Blues are leaving no stone unturned as they explore every option available to them ahead of kickoff at Goodison Park on Saturday. After being pushed around by Barcelona all summer, it seems as if Todd Boehly is finally fighting back and pursuing serious targets with no time to waste. Chelsea has been linked with players like Marc Cucurella, Frenkie De Jong and Wesley Fofana all in the last 24 hours, but now a new name has been added to the list.

Southampton fullback Kyle Walker-Peters is now being linked with the Blues in a surprising turn of events. The two sides are not deep in talks at the moment—Boehly is busy trying to wrap up the Cucurella deal with Brighton—but the reigning Club World Cup Champions have asked about the availability of the Englishman. The overarching question that should be asked is not whether Chelsea will make this deal happen, it’s should the club pursue the right back?

Should Chelsea pursue Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters this summer?

A potential move for the England international seemed like a no-brainer when the links first went public. However, as reports continued to trickle in and the reported price of the player was revealed, things became a bit hazier. Saints could ask for £30-35 million for Walker-Peters, which would almost certainly price the Blues out. If Southampton is not willing to negotiate a lower fee, Chelsea should almost certainly ramp up its interest in Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries. Dumfries will cost the Blues around the same amount that Walker-Peters has been quoted at, and the Italians are likely much more willing to play ball when it comes to price.

Taking price out of the equation for the sake of analysis, Walker-Peters would be a fantastic option for Chelsea. His addition would bring with it many benefits for the Blues. The 25-year-old has a plethora of experience in the Premier League, first and foremost. He made his debut in the English top flight all the way back in 2017. Furthermore, Walker-Peters is a homegrown talent out of the Tottenham Hotspur academy. He’s played 84 matches in total in the Premier League, finding the back of the net once and tacking on 10 assists during that period.

Walker-Peters isn’t your typical goalscoring threat from a wide defensive position—at least not as much as Chelsea fans are used to. The Blues’ supporters have been spoiled over the last few seasons as they get to watch two of the league’s best offensive (and overall) fullbacks in Ben Chilwell and Reece James. Walker-Peters wouldn’t be brought in to challenge for a starting role similar to Cucurella. Rather, he’d provide cover for James in the event of a long-term injury.

The 2021/22 campaign showed us that Thomas Tuchel needs to have some solid back-up options for each wingback. If the manager adds this depth, Chelsea still has a great chance at competing for serious trophies in the event of another long-term injury. For this reason alone, the prospect of adding Walker-Peters to the Blues’ ranks is an appealing one. Overall, the reports that Chelsea is looking to add a right wingback are promising. Walker-Peters would check many of the boxes that Tuchel is looking for in a player, it’ll ultimately come down to Southampton’s asking price.

Would you like to see the Blues make a run at Walker-Peters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!