Antonio Conte is looking to bolster his defence this winter despite the Blues’ recent resurrection after switching to a three at the back system. Chelsea are highly dependent on the trio of David Luiz, Cahill and Azpilicueta at the moment and with the plummeting form of Ivanovic and Terry, Conte does not have potential replacements at present.
As per reports, Chelsea are ready to rekindle their interest in Hoffenheim defender, Niklas Süle, when the transfer window reopens in January, according to ESPN FC. Chelsea have been linked with a lot of players in the past few weeks and Süle tops the list. The 21-year-old has attracted many suitors with his solid performance and Bayern Munich will be a major competitor for Chelsea.
The Blues have held a long-term interest in Süle and a deal was almost brokered but the player decided to stay at Hoffenheim to continue his impressive development. Hoffenheim plays a similar back 3 formation like Chelsea and it shouldn’t be a problem for the player to adapt to Conte’s tactics at Chelsea.
Süle is an absolute giant standing at 6 feet 5 inches and is very capable aerially. Despite his young age, the German is already a very capable tackler and good in the interceptions as well. A strong tackler who can read the game well, these qualities allow the young defender to provide stability at the back.
Another important aspect of his gameplay is, despite his big frame, he is agile enough to keep up with the centre-forwards or simply has a decent recovery pace to cover for the others. The most important is the mental strength of the player, which is really remarkable.
One major concern is his young age. At 21, the player is prone to committing some silly fouls in dangerous positions and would need to improve his concentration. It is understandable that with a bit more experience there would be an increase in maturity as well but he would need to acquire it fast keeping up with the rate of his development and growing reputation.
Chelsea have made defensive reinforcements one of their top priorities during the next two transfer windows as they plan for the future with John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic both out of contract next summer.
Although Conte would be the ideal manager to nurture such a promising talent, Süle could also face the fate of one of those forgotten Premier League stars, who never got a chance after a string of poor performances.
