Chelsea’s move to prioritise a starting-level central defender this summer signals another shift in the pecking order that likely spells the end for Benoit Badiashile’s stop-start tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Benoit Badiashile has taken up the role of a spectator at Chelsea under Liam Rosenior.
Since he arrived from Monaco, the Frenchman has struggled with both form and fitness, with persistent muscle injuries sidelining him for over 100 days across multiple spells.
The defender has largely been restricted to a cup specialist role, notably playing the full 120 minutes in a grueling FA Cup win over Wrexham but failing to find a place in the Premier League side.
With reports now suggesting Badiashile is very likely to leave this summer amid interest from AC Milan and Juventus, there may just be a final nail in the coffin.
You can only pick ONE, Chelsea fans 👀
Champions League qualification or FA Cup trophy for Chelsea
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Liam Rosenior makes a centre-back his priority
Bobby Vincent of Football.London has stated that Chelsea are prioritising signing a centre-back in the upcoming transfer window, with Rosenior wanting to add a starting-level central defender to his ranks.
This comes after the issues that Chelsea have had at centre-back since Rosenior took charge. Just two clean sheets in the last 16 games is awful going for a Blues side that were once so compact.
One of the main reasons behind this is the lack of experience at centre-back ever since Thiago Silva left.
Trevoh Chalobah has been the standout for Chelsea, but the likes of Wesley Fofana, Mamadou Sarr, Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile haven’t shown enough for a full-time place.
Hato, Joao Pedro or someone else? 🤔
Jorrel Hato prove me wrong graphic
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Bad news for Benoit Badiashile
The news that Chelsea are prioritising a starting-level central defender this summer signals that it will spell the end of Badiashile’s time at Chelsea.
It just hasn’t happened for him. He arrived as a high-potential player, but he’s offered very little in the limited appearances he’s made, leading to Badiashile falling to the bottom of the pecking order.
With Levi Colwill back in full training and another centre-back on the way in the summer, he appears the most likely casualty of the club’s defensive reset.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox