Chelsea want to improve their central defence this summer, but they are now very unlikely to sign Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen.
While Huijsen was a key target for Chelsea, the 20-year-old is said to be close to joining Real Madrid.
The Blues have other centre-halves on their shortlist. For example, Chelsea also have an interest in Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace.
However, it is another Premier League star Chelsea fans on social media are now asking for after watching Real Madrid swoop in on Huijsen.
Chelsea fans want Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite
Chelsea have thought about signing Jarrad Branthwaite, and it looks like supporters would welcome him to Stamford Bridge if he were to join.
One Chelsea fan has even gone as far as to compare the Everton star to club legend John Terry. They said: “Reminds me of John Terry, no nonsense, exactly what we need. No doubt we will spend a fortune on someone who’s no better than we already have.”
Another Chelsea supporter simply prefers him to Guehi, posting on X: “Goodbye Dean Huijsen, #1 CB target gone. Only can be replaced with Jarrad Branthwaite, not interested in Guehi or [Jorrel] Hato.”
One other fan shared that sentiment, writing: “Would prefer Branthwaite to Guehi/Hato but think his price tag will be too high.”
One Chelsea supporter simply begged the club to snap up Branthwaite. They wrote: “Please get Branthwaite.”
Another user on X really wanted Huijsen but can settle for Branthwaite. “I think Huijsen has the potential to be one of the world’s best, but [Levi] Colwill has a similar profile to him tbf, so if we go get a Branthwaite to complement Levi, I’d be more than happy.”
And another has said that he would be “very happy” if the club managed to land the 22-year-old. “A realistic window I’d be very happy with would be Branthwaite, an established LW such as [Rafael] Leao/Nico Williams/Rodrygo and [Victor] Osimhen or [Benjamin] Sesko.”
Chelsea’s current centre-back options include Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile. However, with Fofana unable to stay fit, there may be a need for a new centre-half this summer.
Jarrad Branthwaite excels at dealing with danger
Branthwaite is a central defender who certainly knows how to clear his lines. As per FBref, the England international is making 7.01 clearances per 90, putting him in the 94th percentile among his positional peers.
Of course, a modern-day manager like Enzo Maresca also wants his defenders to be able to play out from the back.
If there are any doubts about Branthwaite’s ability to do that, it is unlikely that Chelsea will make a move for him in the next transfer window.
A technical Spain international like Huijsen can obviously do the above, but that option is no longer on the table for the Blues unfortunately.
