Chelsea Transfer Rater: 5 Defender targets inc. De Ligt, Kounde and Koulibaly

The Chelsea Transfer Rater: Centre-Backs

Under new ownership led by Todd Boehly, the expectation will be that Chelsea will look to bring in players to challenge for the league again but will do so in an economically sensible fashion – underpriced picks or young players with potential to grow.

Chelsea have seen 2 of their starting back 3 leave the club while it’s looking increasingly likely that club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso will also look to exit this summer meaning there’s a serious defensive rebuild on the hands of manager Thomas Tuchel.

We’re going to look into 5 centre back names that have been discussed in the media as potential targets of Tuchel and Chelsea. But before we do, let’s briefly try to understand what kind of centre back the manager would want.

Tuchel’s 3-4-3 or variations on this system base themselves around a core build-up principle of something like a 3-2-5 shape. In a quick summary of what’s relevant here, the 3 centre backs must be confident and capable of shuttling the ball around the back drawing forward a press before playing a pass to the receiving midfielders behind that press.

In defence, they need good recovery pace to cope with modern attackers and a high defensive line as well as the physicality and aggression to step out and attack the ball. Thus, a Tuchel centre back must be assured in possession and have good speed and strength alongside their primary defensive skills.

1) Jules Kounde

It seems very likely that the club will get this deal over the line. The young Frenchman from Sevilla has a strong blend of aggression, pace and strength but remains raw in his defensive ability – with potential to grow. He looks well suited to the right centre back role and is keen to make the move.

Likelihood of a move to Chelsea at this moment? 9/10

2) Matthijs De Ligt

The 22-year-old Dutchman was a man in demand when he opted to move to Juventus from Ajax a few seasons ago but for whatever reason, the transfer hasn’t materialised as hoped.

This presents an interesting proposition this summer – a player with immense potential whose growth has seemingly stagnated over the past couple of seasons in a league with a strong emphasis on defence.

De Ligt is very good on the ball, he boasts a 90% pass success rate but fairs poorly on progressive passes and progressive carries as compared to Thiago Silva at Chelsea. This might be a result of the system but suggests De Ligt may have an adjustment period.

He fares well for aerial duels won and shows decent recovery pace. It’s a challenge to go on and shine in the Premier League after an average spell in the Serie A but maybe Tuchel’s possession-heavy 3 man defence could suit him.

Likelihood of a move to Chelsea at this moment? 4/10

3) Kalidou Koulibaly

Not a young defender with potential or a high sell-on value but this world-class veteran defender could be available at a cut-price fee of £25-30m this summer.

He could be the ideal option for Chelsea to replace Rudiger at left centre-back given his high quality and strong skill-set making him well suited to the role but also at the age of 30, he raises the level of the squad immediately without impeding the long-term path of prospect Levi Colwill.

An astute signing in my opinion if Chelsea could get it done.

Likelihood of a move to Chelsea at this moment? 7/10

4) Josko Gvardiol

The 20-year-old Croatian centre back looks primed for a career at the top. Naturally left-footed – a valuable asset in today’s game – Gvardiol has played left-back as well as centre-back but looks a very good fit at the left of a back 3 too.

Similar to Kounde, he’s aggressive, fast and physically impressive. He’s excellent at progressing the ball with a high dribble success rate and while sometimes brash, he’s still very young.

The issues with this signing would be the difficulty and size of the fee to prize him away from RB Leipzig as well as what it would mean for the long term future of Colwill, a talent Chelsea already have on the books.

Likelihood of a move to Chelsea at this moment? 4/10

5) Pau Torres

A defender that’s been linked with a host of top European clubs on and off for 12 months now. Pau Torres is a 25-year-old Spanish centre back that’s been growing from strength to strength with his performances for Villareal and on the international stage.

Left-footed and very comfortable on the ball, Torres shows up well in the heavily possession-based style with the national team as well as in the defence-first Villareal approach of Unai Emery.

A talented centre back who’s likely to move to a top European club sooner rather than later but the expected outlay for him, as it was for De Ligt and Gvardiol, may make it a challenge for Chelsea in a summer where they need 3 maybe 4 defenders.

Likelihood of a move to Chelsea at this moment? 3/10