Maresca seems pretty adamant that he wants a new centre-back following the likely season ending injury of Levi Colwill, who ruptured his ACL on the first day back to pre-season training following their FIFA Club World Cup triumph.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on Sunday, he said: "The one in the middle in my way is so, so, so important. 'We said many times that we are able to create chances and to attack in the right way if we are able to build in the right way.
“Levi was a huge part of our build-up and now he is out. We are trying to find solutions internally, but the club know exactly what I think, and we’ll see what happens.
“I think we need a central defender, but we are also looking internally for the solutions. But as I said, the club knows what I think."
Reports have since suggested that the higher-ups are reluctant to panic and give into Maresca’s wishes. So, do Chelsea need to replace Levi Colwill, and if so, with who?
Bad timing for Levi Colwill
After a rocky start to the 2024-25 season, which could be said of all Chelsea defenders, Colwill was starting to establish himself as one of the more reliable options Maresca had at his disposal, even scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest, a goal that put Champions League qualification beyond doubt.
He was key to Maresca’s ‘playing out from the back’ style, ending the Premier League season with 2965 successful passes, the most of any other Chelsea centre-back, along with 87 accurate long-balls, again, more than teammate in his position.
The Cobham graduate will be back, though, he’s only 22 after all, but for now Chelsea are in need of coming up with a solution.
Chelsea’s existing options
Of the players that are understood to still have a future at the club Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Jorell Hato, Wesley Fofana and Josh Acheampong are all more than capable of filling in for Colwill, but it remains to be seen whether they’re long-term solutions.
Chalobah and Tosin will likely be the first-choice duo heading into the season, although neither offer the same kind of output Colwill did when he was in the team. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re not able to effectively play out from the back, they’re just not as good at it.
Despite a few high-profile mistakes since joining the club in January 2023, Badiashile is said to be highly regarded at Stamford Bridge. He’s currently out injured, however, and not expected to return until mid-September. He’s also more of a battering ram than a key, so it’s unlikely Maresca will ask him to do Colwill’s job.
Hato, although perfectly capable of playing on the left side of defence like Colwill, has only just joined the club, and is seen as more of an understudy to Marc Cucurella. Acheampong has a big future ahead of him, but consistently playing in such an important position for a club that are aiming to win the league may be a little too soon.
In theory, Fofana is the man that could come in and fill the void left by Colwill. They’re a similar profile of player, in his 14 games last season he made 709 passes and created six chances, but his ongoing fitness issues are a major cause for concern.
Who could Chelsea sign to replace Colwill?
Looking at Chelsea’s transfer activity under Boehly and co, they’d want someone under 25 with a high ceiling, and a history with Man City. That last one was a joke but don’t be surprised if it ends up been an ex-City player.
Speaking of which, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, currently at Southampton but formally of City would be a good option. He was powerless to stop Southampton going down last season, but he was hardly to blame.
With 1872 successful passes, 14 chances created, and a long ball accuracy rate of 50.8%, he’s not dissimilar to Colwill, he was just doing it for a team that accumulated 12 points last season, so it may not go down well with the fans.
Benfica’s Antonio Silva also fits the profile. Chelsea have been linked with him in the past, although their relationship with the Portuguese side is said to be strained following the signing of Enzo Fernandez.
Again, he’s a high-volume passer, ending last season’s Liga Portugal campaign with 1203, beating Colwill when it comes to accurate long balls with 90 compared to the Englishman’s 87.
The dream, however, would be Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni. He’s just turned 26, so it would be an exception to Chelsea’s ongoing rule of signing wonderkids, but it’s an exception worth making.
He is arguably the best central defender in the world at the moment, beating Colwill in almost every metric. Bastoni created more chances (27), had a better pass accuracy rate (90.5%), made more successful crosses (28), and, finally, made more accurate long balls (137).
Verdict
Maresca might be right about this one. Among his current options, only Fofana is capable of playing Colwill’s role, and given the fact he only made 34 appearances since joining in 2022, he can’t be relied upon.
So, yes, Chelsea do need to sign a new centre back.