Chelsea make Trevoh Chalobah transfer plan after ‘nightmare’ twist
Chelsea’s defensive issues have been highlighted as a major concern so far this season with Trevoh Chalobah now at the centre of their concerns.
Enzo Maresca’s side lost 2-1 to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge last weekend, adding to the frustration surrounding their consistency and performances in the league.
However, it was the late winner from Chemsdine Talbi which raised alarm bells as both Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo failed to stop a very preventable defeat.
As a result, Football Insider revealed on 29 September that Chelsea are working to sign a new centre-back, with the position becoming a priority for Maresca.
Levi Colwill‘s injury at the start of the season had raised concerns about the lack of cover, and while Josh Acheampong has been widely praised, plans are being made to improve their options.
Chelsea planning to sign Trevoh Chalobah upgrade
Mick Brown previously told Football Insider that Chelsea are open to offers for Chalobah as they do not see him as a long-term answer to their defensive issues.
While nothing materialised during the summer given their lack of depth, Chelsea are now plotting to upgrade on the England international in the January window.
That is according to former Man United and Sunderland chief scout Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the Blues will attempt to sign a new centre-back in January.
“It’s become clear Chelsea’s centre-backs aren’t good enough,” he told Football Insider.
“They’ve been working to identify improvements since the summer, because it’s a position that has emerged as a priority given their issues this season.
“It’s been a clear issue for them ever since they lost Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.
“That was the last time you could say Chelsea had a really solid centre-back partnership, but of course they both moved on, so they have to find replacements.
“When you look at Chalobah, for example, he’s somebody they think they can upgrade upon, and that was clear because he had a big of a nightmare against Sunderland.
“They decided to bring him back when they were having a bit of a crisis, but he’s not the answer.
“Any team in which the centre-backs are prone to errors, you’re always going to have that weakness, and it might not happen every week but eventually it will be an issue.
“Even if there’s a defensive error every four or five games, that’s still more often than you can afford if you want to win major silverware.
“So like I say, they’re looking at options and they want to improve on what they’ve got.”#
The Blues spent almost £300million on new additions during the summer, but believe there are still key areas of their squad which need addressing.
Chelsea dealt title blow amid defensive concerns
Brown told Football Insider on 22 September that Chelsea have “no chance” of competing with Arsenal and Liverpool as a result of their ongoing defensive issues.
Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher insisted Chelsea won’t challenge for the title this season, with their goalkeeper and centre-backs not good enough to make them contenders.
The Blues have kept just three clean sheets across their nine league games so far this season, often costing them results due to their lack of solidity at the back.
Centre-backs remain a priority, but Chelsea have also been linked with a number of top-level goalkeepers amid ongoing concerns about Robert Sanchez.
Meanwhile, if they are unable to stabilise their recent defensive woes, the blame could shift away from the players and on to the manager’s tactics and organisation.
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