Three defensive options for Chelsea to consider this winter
1. Gary Cahill: the 25-year-old Bolton defender is considered the most likely option for Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea side this winter. It is thought that Bolton would be keen to sell as they are suffering some financial difficulties and would likely get a better price from the recently capped England defender this January than they would in the summer.
Cahill is a decent enough prospect tough tackling centre half and has the advantage of having home-grown status, which could be a factor as Chelsea are yet to fulfil their Premier League squad remit for home-grown players.
But with physical defenders such as John Terry, Alex and Branislav Ivanovic already in the squad, it would perhaps be best for us to go for a more of a footballing defender, like we had with Ricardo Carvalho.
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2. David Luiz: probably my favourite option if we are to buy a defender as he’s the only one on this list who is likely to ever compete for a starting place and arguably has the most promising future.
The Blues have been linked with David Luiz ever since the summer and were expected to bring both him and Ramires in from Benfica, but it was only the latter who joined. The Guardian have reported that a £17 million offer from Chelsea has recently been rejected by the Portuguese club, so it is unlikely that he will be joining this January as his club would rather play hard ball and keep hold of their most prized asset. Benfica are adamant that they will not accept anything under the £43 million asking price for Luiz.
As well as boasting quite a special haircut, the 23-year-old Brazilian is a technically gifted player and can play at left back as well as his natural centre back position, but is he worth breaking the bank for?
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3. Phil Jagielka: has not been linked with us a lot in the media, but if we are to sign an English centre back then he could well be the best candidate for the job.
The Everton man has impressed during his years at Goodison Park and it has earned him a few call-ups to the England senior team, he has been capped 6 times. For the Toffees he is mostly considered as a centre half, but Jagielka is more adaptable than most players and can play anywhere in the back line, in the midfield, or can even deputise in goal – which is why Neil Warnock rarely named a substitute goalkeeper during Jagielka’s time at Sheffield United.
The 28-year-old is a highly respected defender and also has some technical ability as a former midfield man, but I cannot see Everton parting with him and only a large fee would persuade them otherwise.
Another alternative – Jeffrey Bruma: the Dutchman could be set to partner John Terry in the defence when Chelsea play Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. I’m hoping the 19-year-old puts in a great performance, we starting using him as a proper fourth choice centre back and save ourselves some money.
IF we are to buy this January then I would rather buy another striker or go for something we don’t already have, like a right-sided winger.
Which option would you go for (if any)?
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