So Chelsea’s league opener against West Ham is only a few days away, yet the club hasn’t managed to sign a single defender. Should that be cause for worry?
Well it certainly should be, given the amount of goals (53 in Premier League) the Blues let in with the main centre-back pairing of John Terry and Gary Cahill last season. The unfortunate injury to Kurt Zouma made things a whole lot worse, as the Frenchman looked their best defender leading up to the awkward landing in that match against Manchester United.
While we can’t accuse Chelsea of the same complacency exhibited last summer, one can argue that more effort could have been put into securing a defensive acquisition. Blues supporters are certainly satisfied with the signings of Michy Batshuayi and N’Golo Kante. However, there remains a huge problem at the back that needs to be addressed.
The club were linked with Leonardo Bonucci, Kostas Manolas and Kalidou Koulibaly, but all they’ve done so far, regarding defenders, is sell. Baba Rahman has been loaned out to Schalke and Papy Djilobodji is now a Sunderland player, yet no one has come the other way.
The chase for Koulibaly is still on, yet it doesn’t seem like there’s a sense of urgency. Maybe Antonio Conte knows exactly what’s going to happen, which could explain the sales of the aforementioned players, but a few hints would surely help calm nerves.
Fans are really in the dark at the moment, left to monitor their Twitter feed or repeatedly hit the refresh button on Newsnow.com. And with Premier League action set to kick off on the weekend, panic is at an all-time high.
It doesn’t take a genius to realise that the Blues simply can’t head into this new season with the same back line as they did in the last. If a 10th placed finish isn’t enough to remind the powers that be over there, then we don’t know what is.
As mentioned before, fans are pleased with the signings made so far, and they are also extremely impressed with the new manager. His experimenting with new formations is particularly encouraging, as a two-striker formation hasn’t been seen at Chelsea since the days of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
His shrewdness in the transfer market is admirable as well, and that was shown by the recruiting of two talented players. However, the Blues are still in need of more.
If Conte is to be a hit in his first season, he will need to give the fans just what they have been craving all summer.
