Chelsea recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace on Wednesday despite it proving to be a productive one.
Trevoh Chalobah was having a bright season at Crystal Palace, making 12 Premier League appearances and scoring three goals.
However, injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile have seen Chelsea‘s defence significantly weakened.
As a result, the club decided to add Chalobah to Enzo Maresca‘s first-team squad and may not stop there.
Chelsea still looking at central defenders
Despite Chalobah’s return, Chelsea still look keen on signing another centre-back this month.
Ronald Araujo may no longer be an option for Chelsea, but the club appear to have a shortlist of different centre-halves.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are currently looking at multiple centre-backs ahead of February’s deadline.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “From what I’m hearing, Chelsea are still looking at defenders. It’s not only Chalobah, let’s see if [Axel] Disasi leaves, it’s a strong possibility, but it depends on the formula of the deal. Let’s see what happens with Renato Veiga, so Chelsea are still looking at centre-backs in the January transfer window.”
Chelsea’s search for a new central defender is good news for Enzo Maresca
Chalobah’s homecoming will give Chelsea’s defence a boost. However, when you look at their squad, they are still lacking a really dominant and experienced defender.
It is probably one reason why Maresca’s side have been throwing away leads and dropping points of late.
With the above, that would not be happening as frequently as it has been. It is an issue that Maresca will be really frustrated and concerned about.
Now sitting outside of the top four, dropping points from winning positions against Bournemouth, Palace and Fulham could end up costing Chelsea a Champions League place.
If Chelsea can get a top centre-half this month, then, Maresca will surely be delighted. Palace’s Marc Guehi arguably ticks a lot of boxes, but signing him now could be impossible after the Blues’ decision to recall Chalobah from the Eagles.
Palace would have already been reluctant to sell the 24-year-old before they lost Chalobah, given his importance to their side, while Oliver Glasner has also claimed that Guehi wants to stay. It is definitely not an easy transfer for Chelsea to pull off.
