Gone are those days when Chelsea used to be famous in Europe because of their rock-solid defense. The Blues have looked pretty fragile this season defensively under Antonio Conte and the Italian will definitely want things to change in near future. Conte had managed the likes of Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini during his Juventus and Italy days who as a unit are arguably the best in the world. Defensive struggle is not something he is accustomed to deal with and that is why Chelsea have to utilize the upcoming transfer window pretty wisely.
As per The Mirror, Chelsea are closely monitoring the situation of Real Madrid defender Pepe at Santiago Bernabeu. The Euro Cup winning stopper has turned down the latest contract extension offered to him by the Los Blancos and will be free to talk to foreign clubs from January 1 as his contract with the Champions League holders runs out next summer.
It will be an incredible coup for whichever club bags the signature of the experienced hardman without losing a single penny next summer. The 33-year-old has tasted plenty of success throughout his trophy-laden career for Porto and Real Madrid and recently won the European Championship with Portugal. His experience at the top level over the years will be a major addition to Chelsea if the Blues can bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Pepe is a natural leader at the back four and possesses exceptional tactical abilities. The experienced Portuguese can read the game very well and can anticipate dangers. He is notorious for his dirty tackles but those are just a few bad advertisements of the veteran. Even at the age of 33, the Portuguese star keeps young Raphael Varane away from the starting XI which speaks volumes about his quality.
The condition of Chelsea’s defensive department is far from promising right now. Even in his mid-thirties, Terry still remains the best defender at Stamford Bridge and the team struggles to cope up with his absence. Gary Cahill looks like a shadow of the player he used to be while David Luiz looks nothing more than a desperate deadline day signing. Kurt Zouma has been out with injuries for a long time now and we have to wait and see how he fares after spending such a long time on the treatment table.
Pepe won’t be a long-term project at Chelsea but the London side need quality first and he comes with it. The experienced Portuguese international could be a big success under Conte at West London and on a free transfer, it would be a daylight robbery.
