Chelsea told they ‘need’ to consider next ‘John Terry’ signing from Prem rivals
Chelsea have been told they “need to consider” signing the “closest” defender to John Terry at the moment, as one of two centre-backs recommended to the Blues.
Chelsea have signed a number of centre-backs as they try to find the right option for their system of late. Their first-team squad currently contains eight central defenders.
Academy graduates Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah are joined by Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo, as well as young players who have been signed fairly recently: Aaron Anselmino and Renato Veiga.
Yet with them expected to improve upon their squad again this summer, pundit Pat Nevin has suggested a pair of quality Premier League centre-backs.
He told Spin Genie: “I’ve said before that centre-backs don’t come into their own until they turn 24, 25 or 26. Levi Colwill is 22 and has everything you want in a defender. Chelsea must stick with him in their current model.
“Someone like Marc Guehi is coming into his prime at 24. Would I like to see him partnered with Colwill? Oh yes, definitely. I would love to see that.
“I’ve been saying for quite a while that Dean Huijsen is one of the best defenders in the world and, if I were Chelsea, he would have been the one I would have gone for. I thought he could replace Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool, so I was surprised to see him end up at Real Madrid.
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“The other defender Chelsea need to consider signing, and I don’t want it to happen, is Jarrad Branthwaite. He’s young but acts way beyond his years, and is growing into something special.
“Out of all the current defenders out there at the moment, I think he’s the closest there is to John Terry when it comes to leadership and his style of play. My Evertonian hat hopes it will not happen though.”
Everton have as yet done a good job of keeping Branthwaite at the club. He was believed to be open to joining Manchester United when they lodged a couple of bids for him last summer, but the highest of them only totalled £50million, so they were rejected.
Under David Moyes, the Toffees have had a resurgence, so whether the defender still wants to leave is unclear. In any case, both Branthwaite and Guehi certainly seem good options for Chelsea if they can sign either of them.
Separately, in quotes reported on Chelsea News, Shaun Wright-Phillips has urged the Blues to keep pushing to complete a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.
“He’s got ability and pace, and he’s set up to be a success,” Wright-Phillips said.
“I think the thing that would establish him ahead of the competition is if he can be consistent. All their wingers have had their moments, but never week in, week out. I think if he shows he can be on it regularly, he’ll be hard to drop.
“It will be a lot of pressure compared to maybe what he’s used to in the Bundesliga, but the main thing is he enjoys it. I think Enzo Maresca is an incredible manager to work with, and if he works hard – as he always seems to – then his talent will shine at Chelsea.”
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