- 10 hours ago
Chelsea to repeat transfer mistake in €100m LaLiga splurge
Robin Bairner
- 22 Feb 2025 12:27 GMT
- 10 min read
Chelsea have not got a good track record when it comes to signing centre-backs, so it should perhaps come as little surprise that Enzo Maresca’s side could be about to make another error when it comes to this area of the team.
The Blues have signed the likes of Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile to address their issues at the back in recent years. Although more than €235 million has been spent, it has not worked.
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Chelsea have also turned to their academy products, yet Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah also appear powerless to stop the bleeding the Blues are suffering from.
So another trip back into the transfer market is forecast for the summer.
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Loic Bade: Why Chelsea’s cheaper option isn’t the right one
Current ETV
Loïc Badé
D (C)
Loïc Badé
D (C)
Sevilla
ETV Range
€23.1M - €28.3M
The latest name that Chelsea are looking at is Sevilla defender Loic Bade, according to Fijaches, who claim the Blues are about to splurge €100 million on LaLiga players.
Bade, in particular, looks a risky proposition. He is a player who was close to going to Aston Villa in the winter transfer window, with a deal mooted around the €30m mark.
Sevilla are, however, thought to be open to a sale if the financial offer is one attractive to them, but with Bade boasting an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €25.7m, Chelsea would be advised purely on this basis not to go any higher than Villa’s offer.
But there is more damning evidence that suggests the 24-year-old Frenchman is not the player they want to be building their defence around.
Bade has been one of the most disappointing centre-backs in LaLiga this season, according to SciSports data. He ranks comfortably in the bottom third of players in Spain’s top-flight for his position, suggesting that any Chelsea move for him would come with more than a hint of risk.
Loic Bade vs LaLiga centre-backs: 2024/25
On top of this, the data analytics experts suggest that he is only good enough at the moment to be a rotation player for the Blues. With an urgent need to upgrade, another player for the future is not someone they can afford to be buying as finances promise to be tighter than they are used to.
Alternatives include Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, but the England man is not only overpriced but also an awkward fit for Enzo Maresca’s side, suggesting the Blues need to tear up their plans for the heart of the defence and start again.
