Maresca could do with a new centre-backplaceholder image
Maresca could do with a new centre-back | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea should pay for the right to beat competition to a signing that would save them money in the long run.
Enzo Maresca’s men were poor at Elland Road, and there were a few players who will want to forget their outing in Yorkshire. Tosin Adarabioyo is one of those players, with the defender giving away the third goal with a big mistake that allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to tap in a goal.
In Tosin’s defence, he has been a steady hand for the most part, but particularly in the absence of Levi Colwill through injury, there is a feeling that Chelsea need another dominant centre-back. It is arguably the one area where Chelsea could really do with a star player to help them take the step from being a top four side to one capable of challenging for the title.
As such, Chelsea are being linked with a move for a centre-back in either January or the summer, with the latter being the most likely scenario. Nottingham Forest’s Murillo has been linked in recent times, and Football Insider are reporting that Forest want between £70million and £80million to sell their star centre-back.
That could be too rich for Chelsea’s blood, with the West London club having to be careful with their spending these days. But in any case, it would make little sense to spend so much on Murillo.
Guehi has always been the obvious option
Crystal Palace star Guehi remains there for the taking, out of contract in the summer and determined to leave Selhurst Park. Guehi has been a sterling performer again this season, rated as the second-best performing Premier League centre-back so far this season, behind only Gabriel Magalhaes.
The likes of Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Real Madrid have been linked with Guehi, keeping in mind that clubs outside of England can make a pre-contract offer from January 1 due to the defender’s contract situation.
Guehi knows Chelsea, it’s where he came through, and he is already a proven Premier League commodity. Even if the Blues paid £50million to get ahead of the competition to sign him in January, paying over the odds when you look at the contract situation.
But that would save them £20million or so when you look at how much is being asked for for players like Murillo. A January deal may be tricky to pull off given Palace won’t want to lose Guehi until the summer, but the Blues could slap a big offer on the table now to give Palace time to find a replacement.
Is it ideal to pay big for a player who is soon to be out of contract? No. But the overall picture is that Chelsea could get a world-class defender for £50million or less, and regardless of the circumstances, that would look like good business in years to come, with Guehi still only 25 years of age.
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