According to Le10Sport, Chelsea are interested in securing the services of Benoit Badiashile. The Blues are keen to overturn their transfer ban in January and should they succeed in doing so; the Monaco defender has been identified as one of the potential targets. Badiashile’s current contract at Monaco expires in 2021, and it’s unclear how much he will exactly cost.
Badiashile’s spell at Monaco
A product of the Monaco youth academy, Badiashile enjoyed a bright spell playing in the youth leagues. As a result, he was promoted to the senior side last summer. Unfortunately for the youngster, Monaco endured a difficult campaign last season, finishing just outside the relegation zone.
Badiashile ended up making his breakthrough in senior football nonetheless, featuring in 20 league games. The Ligue 1 giants conceded 57 goals. Only relegated Guingamp and Dijon, as well as ninth-placed Nines, conceded more.
This season, Badiashile has been the first-choice centre-back for Monaco. He mustered 540 minutes of league football already, though Monaco hasn’t exactly improved defensively – conceding more goals than any other team in the French top flight so far.
Should Chelsea drop their pursuit of Badiashile?
Badiashile might be a risky option for Chelsea for multiple reasons. As mentioned earlier, the young Frenchman has been a part of one of the weakest defensive sides in Ligue 1 for the past 12 months or so. That means he hasn’t been able to provide any real solidity, even though Monaco as a team has performed poorly too.
But most importantly, Chelsea require an experienced head at the back. They most notably lost David Luiz earlier this summer as the Brazilian joined Arsenal. Gary Cahill has also left following the end of his contract. As a result, Cesar Azpilicueta is currently the most experienced defender in the Chelsea camp.
As far as youngsters are concerned, the Blues already boast the services of players like Fikayo Tomori, Reece James and even Andreas Christensen. All of them have shown immense promise under Frank Lampard. But the lack of an experienced head at the back has led to Chelsea struggling against quality opponents. They have struggled even against clubs that are known for their intense gameplay.
Therefore, the Blues should drop their interest in Badiashile and pursue someone who can instigate the backline. Someone like Kalidou Koulibaly could make a world of sense, although the Napoli star is likely to cost a fortune.`
