Three possible solutions to Chelsea’s defensive crisis

Chelsea are facing a wealth of issues both on and off the pitch at the moment. The form of Thomas Tuchel’s side has been worrying as of late, with heavy defeats to London rivals Brentford (4-1) and Arsenal (3-1) a real cause for concern, while the off-field controversy surrounding Roman Abramovich has really hindered the club since he was slapped with government sanctions. 

The Blues’ woes don’t end there though. Due to the restrictions imposed, the club have not been able to offer contracts to some key players, including Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen and Chelsea captain César Azpilicueta, and all three defenders look set to depart Stamford Bridge this summer — with Rüdiger supposedly Real Madrid bound, while Christensen and Azpilicueta look set to join Barcelona. 

The worrying thing for Chelsea, the sanctions will not be lifted by the government until the sale of the club is complete. That means it’s not yet clear when the club will be able to recruit replacements for their outgoing defensive trio — or even if they will be able to do so in the upcoming summer transfer window at all, which would make them much less favourable in the Betdaq bet exchange. 

Under the impression that the club will be in new hands before the end of the summer, let’s take a look at three players they could look to bring in before the start of the new season. Read on to find out more! 

Jules Koundé

A long-time target of the Blues after they chased the French international’s signature in both of the last two transfer windows — failing to agree to meet Sevilla’s £80 million valuation on both occasions — Jules Koundé has reportedly made it clear to the Spanish side’s board that he intends to leave this summer. 

The 23-year-old has appeared 27 times for Sevilla in La Liga so far this season, and will be a key factor in their remaining five games as they battle it with Barcelona for that all-important second spot — both sides are currently on 63 points. The 2019-20 Europa League winner has also been a regular feature in their European outings.

Joško Gvardiol

According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Tuchel is a big fan of Joško Gvardiol. After spending last season on loan at Dinamo Zagreb, the 20-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season with RB Leipzig, making 28 Bundesliga appearances for the German outfit and helping guide them to the semi-finals of the Europa League — where they will face Rangers.

The Croatian is reportedly very happy at Leipzig though, and therefore has not been any contact between Chelsea and his representatives thus far. However, The Bundesliga side have become somewhat of selling club in recent years and having done previous business with the Blues, selling them Timo Werner in 2020, there is a relationship already there. 

Wesley Forfana

Leicester City could be about to lose another of their star players to the Stamford Bridge outfit, as Wesley Fofana is also linked with a move to west London — following in the footsteps of former Foxes N’Golo Kanté and Danny Drinkwater, both of which have had very different careers since arriving at Chelsea.

The 21-year-old became an instant hit at the King Power Stadium last season, arriving from Saint-Étienne and going straight into Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI on a regular basis. However, he suffered a nasty leg break in a pre-season friendly against Villarreal last summer, which has hindered his development.