A failure to sign an elite level centre-back came to define Antonio Conte’s first transfer window at Chelsea. Could he rectify it in January?
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Chelsea aren’t quite as defensively formidable as they were in the halcyon days of Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry and Petr Cech, stockpiling more clean sheets than a DFS summer sale.
Branislav Ivanovic inexplicably retains a starting spot despite being repeatedly roasted by any ounce of pace, Gary Cahill (below) was once again at fault for a crucial goal against Arsenal on Saturday, and David Luiz is, well, David Luiz. Meanwhile, John Terry is no longer the defender he was two seasons ago, let alone ten, and Kurt Zouma is yet to return after rupturing his cruciate ligament back in February.
To put it simply, Chelsea need defenders. And, after top shelf talents such as Leonardo Bonucci, Alessio Romagnoli and Kalidou Koulibaly proved to be frustratingly out of reach, the Blues appear to have swapped Waitrose for Lidl.
According to the Daily Mail, Burnley’s Michael Keane and Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson are now topping Antonio Conte’s redrafted shopping list. Did someone say bargain bucket?
Now, Keane and Gibson may have amassed 26 England Under-21 appearances between them, they may have lead their respective teams to promotion last season with iron-headed vigour and age-belying maturity, but could they really provide a platform for a title charge or man mark the very best in Europe?
It’s fair to say Chelsea are suitably divided on the issue.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
