Chelsea lining up move for £80m PL “monster”

Chelsea did not make any major splashes in the January transfer window, which officially slammed shut at the start of last week, as they only made one signing.

The Blues swooped to bring in 19-year-old central midfielder Mathis Amougou from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne, and he will now look to compete with the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo for a place in the starting line-up.

He was an unused substitute, however, in the 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup on Saturday, which ended the club’s chance of domestic silverware this term.

Enzo Maresca can still enjoy a successful first season in charge of Chelsea, though, as his team are in the fight to finish in the top four in the Premier League and are in the knockout stage of the Conference League.

The London giants, however, will have one eye on next season and how they can improve the team in the summer transfer window to compete on all fronts for trophies in the 2025/26 campaign.

In fact, the Blues are already reportedly eyeing up several players who could come in to improve the Italian head coach’s defensive set-up.

Chelsea’s interest in Premier League defender

According to the Si Phillips Talks Chelsea substack, the Blues are lining up a potential move to sign Everton central defender Jarrad Branthwaite in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the England international is one of the centre-backs on Maresca’s radar ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, as they look to bolster their options at the back.

Simon Phillips adds that Wesley Fofana is prone to injuries and that the club are concerned about his fitness record moving forward, which is one of the reasons why they are looking at players in that position ahead of the summer.

He also reveals that there have been some ‘whispers’ that the Premier League side would be willing to listen to offers for Tosin Adarabioyo, who only joined the Blues on a free transfer from Fulham last year.

The reporter states that there are question marks over Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, and Axel Disasi, who has joined Aston Villa on loan, in regards to whether or not they will be sold in the summer window.

Phillips’ article then reveals that Everton’s Branthwaite and Manchester United centre-back Leny Yoro, who only joined the Red Devils from Lille last summer, are both among Chelsea’s targets in that role.

In December, The Boot Room claimed that Manchester City and Manchester United are also interested in Branthwaite and revealed that the Toffees value the left-footed colossus at a whopping £80m, although it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues are willing to pay that kind of fee for him.

Maresca, though, could improve his team by pushing for the club to land the £80m-rated defender, as he could come in as an upgrade on Levi Colwill.

Levi Colwill’s struggles this season

Chelsea have conceded 31 goals in 24 matches in the Premier League this season – the most in the current top four – and Colwill’s struggles at the back have contributed to that.

The England international has made two errors that have directly led to shots and one error that directly led to a goal for the opposition, as well as giving away one penalty, in the top-flight this term.

His most recent blunder came in the clash with West Ham United on deadline day. The centre-back played a blind pass that sent Jarrod Bowen through on goal to score.

Per FBref, Colwill ranks within the bottom 35% of centre-backs in the Premier League for errors made per 90 (0.14), which shows that he has been too prone to a blunder for the Blues.

As you can see in the table above, Colwill has also been dribbled past on occasion in the division this season, but has also made multiple defensive interventions per game and won the majority of his duels.

This shows that he is not a terrible player who is without redeeming qualities. However, the errors are a concern, and costing Chelsea, which is why Branthwaite could arrive as a big upgrade on his fellow England international.

Why Chelsea should sign Jarrad Branthwaite

Maresca should push for the board to splash £80m on the Everton defender because his form over the past 18 months or so in the Premier League suggests that he has the quality to be a terrific addition to the squad.

Branthwaite, who was once described as a “monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has made 16 appearances in the top-flight this season and helped his team to keep seven clean sheets, whilst winning a whopping 78% of his ground duels.

The English titan is a dominant defender who can get the better of his opponents far more often than not, with a higher success rate in ground duels than Colwill, who has won 55% of his this term.

Alongside his impressive performances in the top-flight in the 2024/25 campaign, Branthwaite also excelled under Sean Dyche in the Premier League last season.

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old brute did not make a single error that directly led to a goal for the opposition in 35 matches in the top-flight.

The left-footed titan also won the vast majority of his duels on the ground and in the air, which is not something that Colwill has been able to boast this season.

These statistics suggest that the potential is there for Branthwaite to come in as a huge upgrade on the current Chelsea left-sided centre-back, by winning a higher percentage of his duels to cut out opposition attacks and by not making as many big errors at the back.

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