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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has made it clear he wants the club to bring in a new central defender to cover for the injured Levi Colwill, but says the board is still exploring “internal solutions” to the problem.
Colwill, 22, underwent surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and is set to miss the majority of the season. The England international was an important member of Chelsea’s defence last term, starting 35 of 38 Premier League games as the Blues secured a Champions League return.
“The club know exactly what I think,” Maresca said when asked about replacing Colwill. “I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution, but as I said, the club know exactly what I think.”
Maresca stressed Colwill’s importance, not just defensively but also in building attacks from deep. “When we build, we build with Levi in the middle,” he explained. “Last year we played 64 games and all of them with either Levi or Tosin [Adarabioyo] in the middle. Now Levi is out. The only other one who can do that job well is Tosin.”
The Chelsea boss revealed that injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile further complicate the situation, while new signing Jorrel Hato is yet to play the key central role in build-up play.
Youngsters Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah have been tested there in pre-season matches against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.
Chelsea have been linked with former academy graduate Marc Guehi, now at Crystal Palace, though the club is also prioritising late-window moves for attacking reinforcements, including Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons.
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