Chelsea locate a much cheaper Gvardiol alternative & it’s a no-brainer
By Evan Curnew
Benoît Badiashile could be on his way to Chelsea in January.
Chelsea has been tracking Croatian youngster Joško Gvardiol for the better part of 2022 but as the price for the RB Leipzig defender continues to rise, it looks like Todd Boehly and co. could be looking elsewhere. Benoît Badiashile is a name that has emerged as the frontrunner.
According to The Athletic reporter David Ornstein, Chelsea is looking to secure the services of Benoît Badiashile in the upcoming winter transfer window.
Badiashile is seen as a like-for-like alternative to Joško Gvardiol as they’re both very promising, young, left-sided centre-backs.
Badiashile is a Monaco youth product and still currently plays for the Ligue 1 side, becoming an integral part of the squad and the backbone of the defensive line. Badiashile made his French senior debut back in September in UEFA Nations League A, playing in matches against Denmark and Austria.
David Ornstein reports that the ask for Joško Gvardiol has made Chelsea start to look elsewhere as they look to upgrade their back line next month. Benoît Badiashile is seen as the most likely alternative to arrive at Stamford Bridge next month. It is believed that a deal of around £30m could be enough to see the Frenchman move to West London.
Chelsea will have tons of scouting information on Benoît Badiashile as the recently hired Technical Director of Chelsea, Laurence Stewart, was Head of Recruitment and Development at Monaco before taking up his new position at Stamford Bridge.
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How could Benoît Badiashile fit into Chelsea’s squad?
Chelsea’s current options in the middle of their backline are Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly. All 4 centre-backs are right-footed so it makes sense for the London club to specifically target a left-footed centre-back, which Benoît Badiashile is. Marc Cucurella, while primarily a LWB and LB can play as a LCB in a back three while Thiago Silva usually takes up the left centre-half spot in a back four. Benoît Badiashile can provide some important additional depth in this spot as the Blues look to climb back up the Premier League table and focus on a Champions League run.
This transfer will be something to watch closely as we enter closer to the January transfer window.
What do you think about this potential move for Chelsea?