Chelsea Makeover Part I: What Chelsea's Overhaul of Defense Could Look Like in A Perfect World
Football is a Business. Many see this as a negative that takes away from their beloved sport, but what if I told you that that phrase could save their club? As a Chelsea fan, I was hoping that the new ownership group under Todd Boehly would take over and immediately get to work in a ruthless fashion. Mainly because, the club has a LOT of players that need to be shipped out and multiple areas of the pitch are in dire need of reinforcing. I know it’s a lot to ask new ownership to move swiftly and make all of the right moves straight away, but as a fan who loves the club, you naturally think about what could be.
Of course all of the below boils down to my opinions of players, systems, philosophy, and tactics but I’ve been fascinated by Chelsea under Tuchel. From rescue to the biggest prize in football, our attack is lacking, our midfield lacks strength, and depth is an illusion.
To move forward, what moves need to be made? How does new ownership go about making their mark? In this mini-series, I’ll dissect how our defense, midfield, and attack could transform to once again make Chelsea a title-challenger.
In this piece, I’ll quickly talk about deadwood before moving into what our defense would look like next year in my perfect world. Let’s get into it.
American Owner Heritage
It was amazing that Todd Boehly strolled in as the owner of Chelsea Football Club, and fired Marina Granovskaia who’s overseen some absolutely abysmal transfers over the past decade or so under former owner Roman Abromivich.
What would’ve made it even better, is if he poured himself a cup of coffee, had a quick chat with Tuchel, and immediately bought out the contracts of players that wouldn’t be included in the squad for the 2022-23 season who’s contracts were set to expire next summer.
Matt Miazaga
Ross Barkley
Kenedy
Michy Batshuayi
Four players off the payroll and out of the club. Of course you’re paying a lot of money up front but there’s no sense having them eat up money and a spot at Chelsea, especially with an abundance of young and promising talent budding in the academy. Plus, it lets the club, as well as other clubs around Europe know that you’re not playing around and that you mean business. That this regime will not make the mistakes of the old one in regards to making poor signings and being taken advantage of.
Also, if the conditions aren’t met to trigger the obligation to buy in Tiemoué Bakayoko’s loan-deal at AC Milan next summer, I’d buy out his contract if he returns to Chelsea as he’d return next June with his Chelsea deal expiring the following year.
Right after buying out the contracts of the above players. Telling the following players that they won’t be included in Tuchel’s plan for the upcoming season would be yet another bold but wise move.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Abdul Rahman-Baba
Emerson
I think it's fair to say that neither of these three players are Chesea quality, not to mention Kepa is eating up massive wages. By excluding them from pre-season, you’re practically telling them to get lost with the hope that their agent moves quickly to find them a new home.
So with the deadwood out of the picture, Tuchel and Boehly can focus on outgoings and incomings in terms of players that are in the actual squad rather than an outcast.
Defense Rebuilding
After sending the deadwood packing, it would be time for outgoings which would basically look like a firesale.
With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen having both left on free transfers, why not add to the exodus?
Boehly and Tuchel would be wise to move on from César Azpilicueta and Marcos Alsono as the former struggled immensely towards the tail end of last season and Alonso is a frustrating player that gives you a goal-scoring threat from defense but is inept in many aspects of modern defending.
Both Azpi and Alonso have one year left on their deals so moving on from them would be wise if Boehly wants to avoid yet another set of defenders leaving for free next summer. Both players have been heavily linked with Barcelona and selling them to the Spanish club for a combined $12-ish million seems like smart business. I currently value Azpi at around $2 million given he’s 32 with only a year left on his deal and Alonso at around $10 million.
I imagine the club and other fans value them much higher but I genuinely believe valuations higher than the above are a bit ludicrous given the fact they’re aging players with only a year left on their deals.
Azpi is a club legend and Alonso has served the club well despite highs and lows in form and being a polarizing figure. It’s time we move on from these players if we want to move forward.
With Alonso, Azpi, Christensen, and Rudiger all leavin for La Liga, the club would need to nail incomings to fill the void of almost its entire defense departing.
The club already signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli which is an excellent start to kicking off the defensive overhaul.
Koulibaly is an experienced leader who is an excellent Rudiger replacement. The Senagalese international can play across a back-three or four making him incredibly versatile and despite being 31 years old, he’s still at the top of his game. I think you could make a case that Koulibaly is not only a solid Rudiger replacement, but an improvement. Boehly really made it happen and signed one of Serie A if not Europe’s premium defenders for only $42 million. Job well done.
But this is where the center-back shopping should stop in my opinion.I think it’s time to play a back four meaning your depth chart at center-back doesn’t have to be as extensive as it would be playing a back-three. Big changes should be afoot this summer.
There’s no need to bring in one or two more with Trevor Chalobah in the ranks as Chalobah had a great debut season last season and should definitely be part of Tuchel’s plans moving forward.
Apart from Chalobah, there’s 19 year-old Levi Colwill who after an impressive loan spell at Huddersfield, is primed to make a push for the first-team.
This gives you four center-backs to choose from in Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Chalobah, and Colwill, with both Reece James and Ethan Ampadu able to play center-back in a back-three if needed to provide even more depth. Plus, Malang Sarr can be called upon if we are really in trouble with suspensions and/or injuries.
Next summer, if Silva finally shows signs of declining, you can move swiftly to sign a replacement. Does Chalobah step up and play alongside Koulibaly? Does Colwill shine and take the LCB spot thus Koulibaly shifts over to the right and plays alongside him? Do both Chalobah and Colwill fail to impress so it’s time to splash in the market? These are questions you ask yourself at the end of the upcoming season in my opinion.
Some might say it’s risky relying on a teenager in Colwill but bar a freak injury bug to Chelsea’s center-backs you will not have to rely on him. Instead, you could ease him into the squad with Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and UCL group matches against weaker opposition (if the club’s draw yields such opposition). And most importantly, Premier League matches against weaker opposition.
Levi Colwill on-loan at Huddersfield
Plus, if I’m Tuchel I want Colwill (and Chalobah given he’s only 22) learning the ropes under Silva and Koulibaly as you may struggle to find better and/or more experienced mentors at center-back anywhere else in Europe. Also,I haven’t heard this much hype around a former academy graduate since Reece James pushed through and he’s now one of the best right-backs on the planet.
All in all, a center-back quartet of Silva, Koulibaly, Chalobah, and Colwill is a solid one.
Full-Back
Where the real reinforcement is needed is at full-back. Reece James and Ben Chilwell are undoubtedly the starters but cover is a necessity especially after seeing how much we struggled last season with both of them out of the lineup.
To kick things of in terms of signings, the club could sign Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters who’s breakthrough season earned him a handful of England call-ups. The English international can play wing-back, full-back and is capable of playing on either flank. For around $30-$35M, KWP would be an excellent signing as he’d provide much needed cover for Reece and Chilwell. A no-brainer in my opinion.
Kyle Walker-Peters at Southampton
On the left flank, I think the club should target Rico Henry. Despite not a lot of buzz surrounding his name, Henry had a great Premier League debut season for Brentford at left wing-back & left full-back. He’s a solid defender that is solid in the attack but with Brentford signing Aaron Hickey, who’s a promising left-sided defender from Bologna, Henry could be on the move.
I think Henry would be a solid, no-nonsense addition. Cover for Chilwell and added depth. My only concern is that he signed a contract extension in March that has him at Brentford until 2026. Perhaps higher wages and the alur of a big club like Chelsea could lure him to Tuchel’s side although Boehly will have to pay a bit to acquire the English full-back.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Rico Henry in for a combined $50-60M would be huge. Two premier league proven talents in the ranks would go a long way. Plus, the two English full-backs could help alleviate Chelsea’s depth issues in defense.
Brentford’s Rico Henry
Goalkeeper
Lastly, you’d have to focus on the back-up goalkeeper. With Edouard Mendy as your #1 and Kepa shunned from the squad, who’d you chose to be your #2?
My choice would be Nathan Baxter. There was a lot of buzz on Twitter that Baxter, after what seemed like a decade of loans, was touted to become Chelsea’s second choice keeper. Now I haven’t watched much of Baxter but I trust what the level-headed journalists and fans tend to agree on on Twitter and it seemed like there was a lot of people in agreement that he’d be a solid #2. That being said, he was sent back to Hull City on loan so that’s off the table but it would’ve been great to anoint a Chelsea academy graduate into the senior squad, especially when he’d be replacing one of the worst flops in Chelsea history who’s on monster wages.
For backup keeper I don’t have anyone specific in mind, but a solid, young keeper that wouldn’t break the bank is exactly what the club needs. A lowkey signing with the aim of balancing the books as well as the squad. Plus it looks like Gabriell Slonina might be joining Chelsea in a year or so. Maybe you can even get away with a stop-gap like Spurs are doing with Fraser Forster.
Before You Go
First of all, if you’re still reading, thank you. I know this is a long piece, hence why I broke it down into a series. Nonetheless, there are some tid-bits I need to mention regarding defense before wrapping up.
Barcelona Quams
It seems that long-term Chelsea target, Jules Kounde, is set to join Barcelona after agreeing personal terms. Now, I don’t know how a club that is over a billion dollars in debt is throwing big money at signings but hey that’s for another time.
I personally think missing out on Kounde is massive. I rate him but spending big money on a player who signifies the continuation of a back-three is problematic for me. I don’t have faith that he can play in a back-four and I don’t think he’s a solid full-back. He’s not versatile and the club desperately needs that right now. It’s a no for me and I’m glad that Barca is committing fraud to acquire his services.
Plus, just because Barca beat you to the signature of two players (Raphina as well as Kounde) doesn’t mean you should be stubborn and block the transfers of Azpi and Alonso to Barca. Let them go! They hold the club back at this point in their careers. Just swallow your pride and move on, I beg.
Jules Kounde for Sevilla
Don’t Deal with Inter (please)
I really really hope that we don’t spend around $65-70 million on a player with ONE year left on his deal. Milan Skriniar of Inter is a phenomenal player but come on. Last summer, Raphael Varane, who was easily one of Europe’s best center-backs at the time, joined United for $44 million with one year left on his deal to put things into perspective.
Inter Milan are struggling financially and they were struggling well before their owner, Steven Zhang, recently picked up a $255 million debt after trying to fight it in court.
While Skriniar is a phenomenal player, $70 million is ludicrous for a player with a year left on his deal. It’s clear Inter’s ownership is dying to balance their books. Plus, I don’t know if I could bear it if we let Inter fleece us for a second straight summer after the Romelu Lukaku disaster.
Until Next Time
All in all, we don’t need signings at center-back. I wouldn’t be upset if the club brings in another center-back, but I genuinely think we are okay in that area of the pitch. It’s full-back depth and a solid #2 goalkeeper that we need to focus on like I mentioned previously in this piece.
So there you have it. What I’d love Chelsea’s defense for the 2022-23 season to look like. I genuinely think that’s the best defense in the Premier League if you put a proper defensive midfielder in front of it. Perhaps somewhere in the multi-verse this defense is being rolled out.
Speaking of a defensive midfielder, midfield is the next piece and that’ll be coming soon. There’s a lot more changes I have proposed for that area of the pitch compared to defense so just you wait. Thanks again for reading.
