Chelsea are going through a transition under Graham Potter who replaced Thomas Tuchel as the new Blues boss a few months ago. They have also tied down the former RB Leipzig recruitment chief Christopher Vivell to lead the transfer drive. According to The Athletic, the club are now keen on Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile as a winter target.
The Blues are struggling in the ‘top four’ race, but club owner Todd Boehly splashed millions in the summer to bolster the squad. He spent more than £250m to bring in new names, including Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella to resolve their conundrum in the defensive third. They could be viewed as the replacements for Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso who all left as free agents, but the problem is deep-rooted given the current circumstances across the backline.
Why Chelsea Must Secure His Services
Despite being stupendous in deep defence, 38-year-old Thiago Silva is at the twilight of his career. Koulibaly, roped in as a short-term fix, has failed to impress since his switch from Napoli, also the persistent injury problems have refrained Fofana from fulfilling his potential.
Left wingback Cucurella does not seem comfortable as a left-sided centre-back in Potter’s ‘back three’, whereas skipper Cesar Azpilicueta is not the same player he used to be back in his twenties. Trevoh Chalobah is an exciting talent, but he is yet to reach the standard they have set at Stamford Bridge week in week out.
Badiashile, 21, is another rising prospect in France’s pool of talent. He is a regular for their U21s but has also appeared twice for Les Bleus at the senior level. The Frenchman began his youth spell with Limoges and Malesherbes before joining Monaco back in 2016. After a couple of years in their academy ranks, the defensive prodigy broke into the first-team squad of the Ligue 1 outfit.
So far he has represented Monaco 135 times across competitions and gained plaudits for his physicality as well as aerial supremacy in French football. His concentration and composure must help him rise and shine in Europe, also his ball-playing ability should see Potter strategizing quick transitions from defence to attack.
Although the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Evan N’Dika and Piero Hincapie have also been shortlisted, Badiashile remains the topmost priority for his abilities and style of play. A fee of around €35m should be enough to secure his services and Chelsea, therefore, must step up the chase to build a bright future overcoming the ongoing shambles.
