Chelsea have signed three central defenders over the last two transfer windows and the Blues remain interested in RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol
Eyebrows were certainly raised when Chelsea confirmed the £80million signing of Wesley Fofana last August.
Fofana had been missing for the majority of the campaign before because of a fibula fracture, where he missed 223 days of action after suffering the injury in pre-season. So when the Blues came out and put £80million on the table – many were left surprised. There was no doubting Fofana's talent, that's undeniable but it seemed a lot of money for someone still recovering from a serious injury.
The Frenchman, though, didn't take long to settle in at Stamford Bridge; immediately showing some of the attributes that persuaded Chelsea to go all-out for his signature last year. He looks like a leader in the making. He looks like the ideal modern-day central defender, who is just as comfortable in a three-back as a four-at-the-back formation. He looks brilliant.
Unfortunately for Fofana, this season has also been an injury-ridden one. But the former Leicester defender has shown in his 10 appearances for Chelsea that it has the potential to be a great piece of business in the future. He looks like he could be the man for Chelsea.
Thiago Silva is now 38 years old and while he is simply a freak of nature who looks like he can keep going for another 38 years, that unfortunately is not the case. The Brazilian defender is undoubtedly in the final years of his career and his retirement from professional football cannot be too far away, as upsetting as that is for Chelsea supporters.
Fofana looks like someone who can come in and be Silva's long-term replacement. We've heard so many names that might be coming in, or have come in, that will be Silva's replacement in the long run but Fofana has shown, albeit in only 10 games this season, that he has all the capabilities to be just that at Stamford Bridge.
The Frenchman's success and promising start would have been encouraging for Benoit Badiashile to see before joining Chelsea in January. Badiashile, Fofana's compatriot, moved from AS Monaco at the beginning of the calendar year and has already featured eight times for the Blues in all competitions.
A source told football.london at the time that the 21-year-old was very much signed as someone for the future with Chelsea firmly believing he has all the attributes to become a brilliant central defender in years to come. However, Badiashile has perhaps played even more than he had envisaged when switching Ligue 1 for the Premier League. And he has really impressed in that time.
Badiashile is a physical presence. At 6ft 4in, he's dominant in the air, but he is also agile and mobile; ingredients that persuaded Graham Potter to choose him instead of Marc Cucurella in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with the physical Everton at the weekend.
It's another sign that this new-look Chelsea can provide young centre-backs with the ideal platform to progress in their career, something Josko Gvardiol may well consider should the club move for him in the summer. football.london understands the Blues remain interested in the Croatian centre-back ahead of the 2023 summer transfer window.
Chelsea tried to sign the RB Leipzig defender last summer but were ultimately priced out of a move and ended up going with Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly instead. And when Chelsea signed Badiashile, a left-footed centre-back like Gvardiol, in January, it put a future move for the Croatia international in doubt.
The west Londoners, though, retain an interest in Gvardiol but they are not alone in that. Manchester City are understood to also hold a keen interest in the Leipzig star and could look to make a move for him when the season is over. City, like Chelsea, have an array of options in the centre of defence, but the Blues' promising start with the likes of Fofana and Badiashile, should definitely be noted by Gvardiol when choosing his next club.
One man who it hasn't quite worked out for thus far at Stamford Bridge is Koulibaly. The 31-year-old signed from Napoli last summer and there was plenty of excitement around his signature, where he effectively replaced the departing Antonio Rudiger who left on a free transfer.
The Senegal international started well but as the season progressed, mistakes began to creep into his game and he was the subject of heavy criticism from Chelsea supporters. He can look sloppy in possession while sometimes being too rash into a challenge. Koulibaly has definitely improved in recent games so it may have just been down to needing an adaptation period, which is perfectly normal when moving to a different country.
Last but not least, Trevoh Chalobah. His future is a complicated one. He absolutely loves the club and wants nothing more than to succeed playing his football at Chelsea, but that might not be possible, especially with the sort of transfer fees Todd Boehly has been spending since taking over the club almost 12 months ago.
Chalobah has been very much a bit-part player this season despite impressing on a consistent basis when called upon. The 23-year-old is certainly not short of suitors and if made available for transfer, he would attract a whole host of clubs from around Europe.
As much as Chalobah wants to stay and succeed at the club he has been at since the age of eight, it may be best for his career if he does move on this summer. Especially if another centre-back is signed.