What can you possibly add to a squad that recently claimed Europe’s biggest prize (the UEFA Champions League) this season? This is the question Chelsea F.C coach, Thomas Tuchel and the Chelsea board will face once the summer transfer window in England opens next Wednesday (June 9th). As the title suggests, this will be the first part of a three part series that will seek to identify the three Chelsea transfer targets that just make sense. The positions that will be explored in this series include centre-back, centre-midfielder, and centre-forward. Today, the centre-back position will be explored. If you would like to keep up with this ongoing series please follow this page and subscribe for updates on new postings.

Overview

There are a variety of factors that should be considered when outlining potential transfer targets that a football club should consider, these include, but are not limited to: systematic/coaching fit, balance from both an experience and age standpoint, and perhaps the most important of all; price. For this series, all of these factors will be considered, however, some factors may take priority over others based on the positions being explored.

The Current Standing

In order to assess where improvements can be made to the Chelsea back line, it is important to identify the current standing of Chelsea’s backline. Using the lineup that was chosen for the Champions League Final (pictured below and taken from UEFA.com), it can be inferred that the the players that make up the Blues strongest back line are as followed: Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, and Benjamin Chillwell.

Areas of Improvement?

Suggesting that the Chelsea backline even needs improvement is ridiculous in itself when you consider what the team achieved under Tuchel this season. In the 30 games that the he took charge of the team, the team won 19, lost 5, and conceded just 16 goals during that time. He deserves immense credit for the end-of-season success that resulted from his inspired transformation at the back. However, there are areas that can still be improved in this current set up. Using the factors outlined for transfer targets earlier, all of these will be assessed to find the ideal centre-back transfer target at the position.

Priority #1 – Age & Experience Consideration

The first factor that Chelsea must consider when deciding on a centre-back to add to the current rotation is age. The reason for this is simple, two of the centre-backs that make up Chelsea’s strongest backline, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta, are over the age of 30 years old (36 and 31 respectively) and their contract will expire next summer (June 2022). This means that Chelsea need to start to plan for the future of the position by injecting youth into the current set up. Age isn’t the only factor that Chelsea should take under consideration, however, as Chelsea are in a win-now window of opportunity and experience at the highest level of competition must also be considered.

Priority #2 – Systematic/Coaching Fit

the next natural step to identifying the centre-back that would make sense for Chelsea to target, is finding one that will fit into the current system. The pictures below (courtesy Whoscored.com) show Chelsea’s most used formations for both the Premier League (left) and the Champions League (right). From the data provided, it is clear that Tuchel favoured a 3-4-2-1 formation. Therefore when considering the centre-back that Chelsea should sign, it should be one that has experience playing in a three centre-back system. Underlying strengths of a centre-back that plays in this system include but are not limited to: good passing, ball retention, aerial prowess, tackling, and concentration. When identifying the players Chelsea should target, the ideal candidate must posses most of these traits.

• 

• 

Priority #3 – Price Consideration And Availability

The final, and most obvious factor for Chelsea to consider is price. If Chelsea were owned by anyone else, this would have been a higher priority of consideration, but Chelsea are blessed with an abundance of riches provided by its billionaire-owner, Roman Abramovich. And if reports are to be believed, Tuchel has told Abramovich that he will “build an empire at Chelsea”, and will be backed with a whopping £200 million summer transfer window budget in order to fulfil his promise (The Telegraph).

The Centre-Back Signing That Just Makes Sense – Christian Romero (Atalanta B.C)

After careful research and consideration, the centre-back that Chelsea should target is Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio (B.C) defender, Christian Romero. The Argentine defendecr checks all the boxes. He is 23 years old, made 42 appearances for the Italian side this season, and he produced stellar performances in both the Champions League and Italian Serie A (Italian first division). He would also fit into Chelsea’s three centre-back system as the 3-4-2-1 formation was the formation most used by Atlanta coach, Gian Piero Gasperini in the Serie A this season (pictured below, left via Whoscored.com). Additionally, he is the type of player Tuchel dreams of as he is versatile. As shown below (right via Transfermarkt.com) he has lined up in both the centre-back and right-back positions for Atalanta this season.

• 

• 

There is one stumbling block to a potential transfer, however, which may be his price and availability. Fresh off the back of winning the Italian Serie A’s award for best defender of the season, there will be no shortage of suitors lining up for his signature. And further complicating any potential transfer is that Atalanta recently made his loan move from Juventus F.C permanent by activating the €16 million buy-option in his loan agreement. Even so, Transfermarkt.com lists the defender at €30 million (pictured below) and if reports are to be believed, Atalanta may be willing to sell him for a quick return of just under £40 million.

Building From The Back – How Chelsea Could Lineup with Romero

Romero would be best utilised in the right centre-back position for Chelsea. Though Azpilicueta has done a phenomenal job slotting in at the position, his minutes will need to be managed as he is getting older and is more susceptible to injuries . The same can be said for Thiago Silva, who I believe will play a role in the more important games of the season, but will be rested in order for Andreas Christensen to get minutes in the centre of the back three.

Conclusion

Defence is Tuchel’s bread and butter, so he will be trusted to make the right decision when identifying the player he wants to target at centre-back. Reports from the Athletic state Chelsea have drawn up a short list of names that includes the likes of Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Maxence Lacroix (Wolfsburg), Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Jules Kounde (Sevilla) and Pau Torres (Villarreal), however, Romero is the player that I believe will seamlessly fit in to the Blues current set up and I also believe he has the most potential out of all the players short listed.

If you enjoyed this read, please follow this page and subscribe for updates on when new postings come out. Part 2 of this 3 part series will explore the centre-midfield target the Blues should consider signing that just makes sense.

Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts on Twitter @CFCBlue_Nation.