Chelsea have needed to strengthen their centre-back ranks for quite some time now. It was the case last summer as well. Enzo Maresca had asked for one after Levi Colwill’s injury but was overlooked. One can wonder how much of an impact that had on his eventual decision to walk away in the middle of the campaign.
In January, it had looked like Chelsea were eager to sign a centre-back as well. They were heavily linked with Jeremy Jacquet and were said to have agreed personal terms as well. But eventually, it was Liverpool who agreed a deal for him.
Of course, Jacquet was not the only centre-back to be linked with Chelsea in January. Another central defender who was said to be on their radar was Marcos Senesi. A move did not happen then. And it is not going to materialise this summer either, even though he is headed to London after all.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Senesi to Tottenham is ‘here we go’. The deal is in place after the verbal agreement. Four-year contract for the Argentine who’s set to put pen to paper soon and join as a free agent.
Marcos Senesi is joining Tottenham
One cannot help but feel that Chelsea might have missed out on a good deal here. Senesi has been one of the better centre-backs in the Premier League lately.
He is the latest Bournemouth player to join a bigger club. And considering that Spurs have got Senesi as a free agent, it has to be considered a major coup on their part.
Now, it remains to be seen how Chelsea go about strengthening their centre-back ranks this summer. There have been a few players they have been linked with lately.
Centre-backs Chelsea have been linked with
Ibrahima Konate is one player who is rumoured to be on the radar of Chelsea as a possible signing. Of course, it won’t be easy to pull off. But it has emerged recently that he has not been able to find an agreement over a new deal with Liverpool. That does open the door, although Real Madrid might also be interested in the Frenchman.
Jacobo Ramon is another player who is rumoured to be a Chelsea target. The centre-back has enjoyed a very good season at Como FC, as Cesc Fabregas’ side have qualified for the Champions League.
Of course, there have also been suggestions that Chelsea would look for Premier League-proven centre-backs this summer. In that respect, Jan Paul van Hecke of Brighton and Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace would fit the bill.
It is also possible that Chelsea could end up going for someone Xabi Alonso is already familiar with. Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen has been suggested as a potential option, having enjoyed success together in Germany.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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