We continue reflecting on each of our players’ campaigns by looking at how the Blues' defenders fared in 2025/26.
For these reviews, our qualifying criteria is that players were in our squad at the end of the season and appeared at least once competitively.
Here are the 11 players for whom a position in defence was their most frequent position, starting with the skipper…
Reece James
Total appearances: 39 (29 starts)
Minutes played: 2,951
Goals: 2
Our captain enjoyed an excellent campaign, putting previous injury issues behind him by racking up 39 appearances in all competitions.
James scored on his 200th Chelsea appearance, away to Nottingham Forest, and a brilliant free-kick at Newcastle in December was unsurprisingly voted our Goal of the Month.
James was deployed at both right-back and central midfield, depending on the opponent and the occasion, and flourished in both roles. Huge performances at home to Liverpool and Arsenal stand out.
In March, the 26-year-old signed a new contract at Chelsea, keeping him at his boyhood club until 2032.
Marc Cucurella
Total appearances: 50 (43 starts)
Minutes played: 4,302
Goals: 1
Cucurella was once again a regular in the Chelsea team in 2025/26, mostly at left-back but on occasion used as a wing-back or winger.
The Spaniard’s only goal was crucial in our January comeback win over West Ham, while his run and clever cross set up Estevao Willian for one of the moments of the season, as we dramatically defeated champions Liverpool.
Cucurella was a constant menace from corners with his near-post flick-ons, and in March brought up his 150th Blues appearance in our FA Cup success at Wrexham.
Trevoh Chalobah
Total appearances: 47 (41 starts)
Minutes played: 4,149
Goals: 3
Chalobah spent significantly more time on the pitch than any other Chelsea central defender in 2025/26.
His consistent performances contributed to a run of four clean sheets in November, including away to Tottenham and at home to Barcelona. He scored a clever header at home to Arsenal in our next match, one of four occasions he found the net over the course of the campaign.
Malo Gusto
Total appearances: 49 (38 starts)
Minutes played: 3,632
Goals: 3
Gusto was a regular on the right side of our defence in 2025/26, while he was used at left-back and in midfield, too, such as for the 2-1 home win over Liverpool.
The highlight of Gusto’s season was the first goal of his professional career, scored against Wolves on his 98th Chelsea appearance.
He scored twice more, in a home win over Everton and then in his homeland, although our Champions League knockout tie against PSG would end in defeat.
Wesley Fofana
Total appearances: 38 (31 starts)
Minutes played: 3,009
Goals: 0
Having undergone hamstring surgery in April 2025, Fofana returned to the pitch in our second game of the season in August and enjoyed a largely injury-free campaign.
He most often partnered Trevoh Chalobah in the heart of our defence and was prominent as we registered a series of clean sheets as autumn turned to winter.
Later in the campaign, he made his 50th Chelsea appearance and also started the FA Cup final.
Jorrel Hato
Total appearances: 36 (25 starts)
Minutes played: 2,480
Goals: 2
Jorrel Hato’s first season as a Chelsea player got better and better as it went on. He overcame some initial difficulties to flourish in the second half of the campaign.
He was used at left-back and left centre-back in a two and a three, and showed his comfort moving into midfield when required.
Hato scored his first Chelsea goal with a cracking strike against Charlton Athletic, and netted the opener in the big win over Port Vale, also in the FA Cup.
Josh Acheampong
Total appearances: 30 (14 starts)
Minutes played: 1,452
Goals: 2
It was another season of progression in Acheampong’s development, with the young defender playing 30 games and scoring the first two Chelsea goals of his senior career.
His wide-eyed celebration after breaking the deadlock at Nottingham Forest told a story, and he netted a fine and crucial late equaliser away to Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round.
Acheampong notably started the home victories over Liverpool and Tottenham, as well as the draw at Manchester City.
Tosin Adarabioyo
Total appearances: 29 (17 starts)
Minutes played: 1,877
Goals: 2
Almost half of Tosin Adarabioyo’s appearances this season came in the cup competitions, most notably when he helped us beat Leeds at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Like Hato, his two goals came against Charlton and Port Vale in the same competition.
Benoit Badiashile
Total appearances: 16 (12 starts)
Minutes played: 1,188
Goals: 0
It proved a stop-start campaign for Badiashile, partly due to injury, with the vast majority of his 16 games taking place in December and January.
However, the French centre-back did start the 2-1 win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, as well as the 1-1 draw at Manchester City in the new year.
Mamadou Sarr
Total appearances: 6 (4 starts)
Minutes played: 319
Goals: 0
Sarr returned from his loan at Strasbourg in February, shortly after playing a vital part in Senegal’s triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations.
He made his full Chelsea debut against Hull City in the FA Cup and started the narrow league loss to Arsenal shortly afterwards. His final outing of the campaign came in our victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
Levi Colwill
Total appearances: 4 (3 starts)
Minutes played: 356
Goals: 0
Having suffered a knee ligament injury on the first day of pre-season training, Colwill only returned to action during the final weeks of the campaign. It is a testament to the Academy graduate's quality that he was hugely impressive, starting away at Liverpool and then a week later in the FA Cup final.