Ibrahima Konate has enjoyed a solid career since joining Liverpool in 2021. And it looks like he has decided it is time to move on, having not been able to agree an extension with the club. That means he will be leaving this summer, with his current contract coming to an end. That has prompted Chelsea to be linked with a move for the Frenchman.
Going into the summer transfer window, the message has been that Chelsea will be looking to sign proven, ideally Premier League-tested players, this summer. And it would be safe to say that Konate falls under that category.
He has won the Premier League with Liverpool and reached the Champions League final as well. He played in a World Cup final with France. When it comes to top-level experience, he has plenty of it in the bag.
Players like him do not become available as free agents constantly. Yet, according to TEAMtalk, Chelsea will not make an offer for Konate despite having monitored his situation closely.
Chelsea step away from pursuit of Konate
It is safe to say that somebody like Konate could have been a good addition to this Chelsea team. At the end of the day, he is someone who would come in and be an immediate starter.
And it has been claimed that this is the level of player Chelsea are looking to add to their roster this summer. They want ready-made starters.
The reality is that Konate would tick a lot of boxes that Chelsea are supposedly looking to be ticked this summer before making moves. Yet, that was not enough to convince them.
Unfortunately, a move for Konate has been ruled out. It remains to be seen who the Blues eventually end up going for and whether they are good enough.
Chelsea’s centre-back ranks do need a lot of strengthening
Chelsea have been defensively poor for quite some time now. Of course, a lot of that was down to the fact that Levi Colwill suffered an ACL injury in pre-season itself.
As a result of it, he ended up spending the majority of the campaign out injured. He only returned to action in the final month of the campaign.
Impressively, it did not look like he had missed a step as he immediately came back into the starting XI and was able to put in solid performances, improving the defence instantly. That being said, one cannot overlook the fact that other centre-backs at the club might not be good enough.
The likes of Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi might be moved on in the summer. Trevoh Chalobah might only be good enough for a squad role.
A lot of fans have high hopes for Josh Acheampong. Yet, he has never gotten consistent chances. That has now happened under multiple managers. One can only wonder why.
Jorrel Hato has been a standout in the second half of the season. But he might not have the physicality to be a regular starter at centre-back in the Premier League. He is one of those players who could thrive if Xabi Alonso opted for a three-man backline.