Chelsea FC v Nottingham Forest FC - Premier League
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has reiterated his desire to sign a new defender to cover for the injured Levi Colwill.
WHAT HAPPENED?
After Colwill suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that will rule him out for much of the season, head coach Maresca urged Chelsea to sign a new centre-back. Those "priority" calls may have fallen on deaf ears as the Italian said the club "knows" what he thinks about the matter, but they appear to be no closer to signing a replacement.
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WHAT MARESCA SAID
He told reporters on Friday: "The one in the middle in my way is so, so, so important.'We said many times that we are able to create chances and to attack in the right way if we are able to build in the right way. Levi was a huge part of our build-up and now he is out. We are trying to find solutions internally but the club know exactly what I think and we’ll see what happens. I think we need a central defender but we are also looking internally for the solutions. But as I said, the club knows what I think."
When further pressed on whether Wesley Fofana or Benoit Badiashile will be able to fill in the vacant shoes, Maresca said: "He needs to be fit, first of all, and then he can do it. He played 45 minutes in that position and it was the first half against Bournemouth away if you remember – probably one of the worst halves since we started. Benoit playing in the middle, the Conference League final, first half, we were losing 1-0. Then we changed with Levi and we won 3-1. So it's not the same."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
While Chelsea are on a high after winning the Conference League and Club World Cup and qualifying for the Champions League in recent months, their defence is arguably their Achilles heel. Colwill was, perhaps, their best defender, so losing him for the long term is a big blow. Whether the Blues sign a replacement remains to be seen.
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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?
The way that Chelsea, who are interested in signing Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons, are going, Maresca's team may sign another attacker before they recruit a defender. Time is running out for either to happen, as there are just over two weeks left of the summer transfer window.
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