Enzo Maresca believes Chelsea need a central defender to cover the absence of injured Levi Colwill after the England international suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear that will see him ruled out for most of the season.
Colwill has become a key player for the Blues but suffered a serious knee injury in training. Though Chelsea have a number of centre-back options, Maresca has made it clear he believes better quality is needed. This comes just weeks after they spent an initial £37million to sign Jorrel Hato from Ajax.
Softfootball understands that Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah are poised to start in central defence against Crystal Palace in the Premier League opener on Sunday.
Chelsea manager Maresca, however, has doubts over whether he can replace the 22-year-old Colwill, a key figure at Stamford Bridge, from within his current squad and has reportedly been linked with a move for Antonio Silva of Benfica.
According to Romano via his X handle, he reported that Maresca is insisting on the club to sign a new central defender after Colwill’s injury. He tweeted:
“Enzo Maresca: “The club knows what I think, we need a central defender in my view after Colwill’s injury… but we are looking internally for a defender”.”
Chelsea finished fourth last season, 15 points behind champions Liverpool. While they are on a high after winning the Conference League and Club World Cup and qualifying for the Champions League in recent months, their defence is arguably their vulnerable point.
Levi Colwill was perhaps, the Blues best defender, so losing him for the long term is a big blow. Whether Chelsea sign a replacement remains to be seen.
