Chelsea are looking for left-backs, with Lampard having lost faith in Emerson and Alonso. According to journalist Nizaar Kinsella of Goal, the blues already have their final shortlist of top 2 players. Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell has always been an option for Lampard’s side. But should they miss out on the English international, Porto’s Alex Telles is the one Chelsea aspires to lure into Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea: Where’s the wall captain?
There was a time when the leadership of Terry, the agility of Carvalho and the positioning of Cole guarding the Blue Fortress with Cech as the last line of defense. Needless to say, that was the kind of ‘Bus‘ Jose loved to ‘Park‘. With that quality of defence and the Special One, both a thing of the past, Chelsea have struggled ever since. In fact, they have conceded the second-highest number of goals (39 goals) after Burnley (40 goals) in the top half of the table. Therefore, it’s quite natural Lampard is looking for defensive antidotes.
Chilwell or Telles?
Lampard has been a long time admirer of Ben Chilwell. But signing him would be an uphill task for 2 reasons. Leicester sits third on the table, comfortable for the Champions League next season. However, Chelsea sit 5th with Manchester United chasing the blues. Secondly, the Foxes are tough negotiators. Maguire’s transfer and their resilience in the case of Maddison clear any air of doubt. Chilwell, moreover, has a contract up to 2024 – meaning he won’t come cheap. Considering all the above conditions, it looks better if Lampard looks for alternatives to Ben.
Talking of alternatives, Porto left-back Alex Telles has just one year left on his contract. Secondly, Chelsea’s relationship with Telles’ agent Pini Zahavi can too coax the Brazilian to join the Blues. He’ll be available for around £40 million ($52m) as Porto looks to strengthen itself financially.
Left Backs: Au Revoir!
Alonso looked a ray of hope initially but has eventually descended into lackluster. The Spain international sought an early exit in the Winter with Inter interested. Conte’s side offered a loan deal for €2m with an option to buy for a further €20m (£17.5m/$23m). But that fell short of Chelsea’s expectations, who demanded €35m (£31m/$39.5m) for the full-back. Since then, he has not only come back into the squad, but has proved his worth with crucial goals against Arsenal and Bournemouth.
Emerson, however, looks to slide down a descending curve and is expected to leave Stamford Bridge in the next few months. The Italian has attracted interest from Italian heavyweights Inter Milan and Juventus.
