With Real Madrid having found an agreement with Bournemouth for Dean Huijsen, Chelsea are left in no man’s land given their aggressive approach towards landing the Dutch-born Spanish international, and now they are forced to pivot. The West Londoners have now turned their attention to Mario Gila, currently playing for Lazio in Serie A.
Let’s put a few things into perspective: the Cherries centre-back was more of a ball-playing profile that brought aerial dominance and long-term stability, but now Gila will be a more mature but Serie A-tested solution, which can turn out to be a smart alternative given the Blues’ evolving backline (as Enzo Maresca continues to deploy a possession-based tactical playing style at Stamford Bridge).
So who is Mario Gila? And where does he fit in at Chelsea?
Should Chelsea sign Mario Gila?
The 24-year-old is a product of Real Madrid’s academy, and he did make a couple of senior bows for Los Blancos under Carlo Ancelotti before he moved to Lazio in 2022. And since arriving in Serie A, the right-footed centre defender has ever grown in defensive maturity as well as technical responsibility.
He comes in with excellent positional awareness at the back, which helps the 24-year-old cover defensive zones with intelligence, especially when the Blues are forced into a compact structure (so you’d think big games). He is also good at helping out wide when the back line is stretched, and Gila rarely dives into pointless tackles given how he prioritises body angles and positioning – so he is not really dominant when it comes to tackles like Wesley Fofana, but he is quite solid in 1v1 situations.
He is also aerially apt but not as towering, which makes him not as physically imposing as Huijsen is, but the Madrid academy graduate is more agile, given how he offers quicker lateral movement that will help Chelsea highly, especially when defending higher lines.
MUST READ: Chelsea eyeing opportunistic signing as Liverpool star seeks lucrative payday
Now let’s talk about his capabilities with the ball. He does come from Real Madrid’s school of aggressive with the ball centre-backs, but he has an age to refine his ball-playing abilities under Maurizio Sarri at Lazio. The 24-year-old is excellent when it comes to short vertical passing through pressing traps or those diagonal switches to wide full-backs. He is quite composed when facing the press and is apt to carry the ball out of the backline calmly when he has that space.
So if Chelsea are playing a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-2-1, Gila can play as a central or RCB in a back three, or you slot him in as a right-sided CB in a back four. He can also play in a hybrid inverted centre-back role like John Stones.
Let’s get one thing straight: Gila may not have that ceiling of Huijsen, but he sure is a safer bet who will be ready to contribute from day one.
Author Opinion
If you were to ask me, it is a smart pivot by Chelsea to move for Mario Gila, and while he does lack that long-term high ceiling of Huijsen, he brings that security of possession under pressure in the backline complemented by his reliability in transitional situations. And given his experience in La Liga and Serie A, he has that nice blend of technical and tactical understanding.