Chelsea make £35m star ‘strong candidate’ for Rosenior

Chelsea have made signing a centre-back a high precedence now that Liam Rosenior is firmly established as supervisor at Stamford Bridge.

There’s a sense that the Blues are dissatisfied with their big selection of attacking choices, which was highlighted in the course of the Pageant interval with an inquiry being lodged in opposition to Bournemouth keeper Antoine Semenyo, who signed from Manchester Metropolis.

However a five-game winless run within the Premier League speaks to the west Londoner’s want for extra stability within the again. With Levi Colwill nonetheless out for an prolonged time frame, the rearguard is an space to deal with within the last weeks of the January switch window.

How does Chelsea plan to strengthen their protection?

Chelsea have by no means been thought of favorites within the race to signal Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehy, who’s believed to be on the verge of a winter transfer to Man Metropolis.

Guehi will not be the one proficient centre-half available on the market, however he comes from Chelsea’s Cobham academy and has spearheaded Oliver Glasner’s trophy-winning spell at Selhurst Park. If Chelsea want a fallback, they want to verify they hit the jackpot.

With that in thoughts, the Telegraph’s Matt Regulation admitted {that a} new centre-back is certainly on the high of Chelsea’s want record, with Jeremy Jaquet on the high of Bruko’s evaluation.

Insider Simon Phillips confirmed this, confirming that the younger Frenchman is a “robust candidate” to hitch the London squad.

Jacquet, 20, has been in spectacular type for Rennes since breaking out of Ligue 1’s youth set-up, and whereas his £35m charge is a hefty sum, it’ll solely get greater as he continues to make waves within the coming years, with additional curiosity from Arsenal and Liverpool.

Why Jacket could possibly be Chelsea’s greatest hit

Though Jaquet is younger, he has performed with nice maturity and intelligence within the first few years of his skilled profession, with analyst Ben Mattinson suggesting he has the potential to be a “high 5 centre-back on the earth”.

His expectations are stunning, particularly for somebody so inexperienced. In keeping with FBref, Jaquet ranks within the high 15% of centre-backs throughout Europe in tackles received and within the high 5% in interceptions per 90, which speaks volumes about his capability to learn the sport like a scholar and apply that information to make the appropriate selections on the proper time.

Provided that coolness, this could possibly be Guehi 2.0, a participant Chelsea ought to nonetheless be sad about promoting to Crystal Palace for £18m in 2021.

The truth is, if we have a look at the person metrics of defenders of their respective divisions this season, it’s clear that Jacquet is emulating the most effective gamers within the Premier League, matching him in restoration, defensive contribution and duel success fee whereas controlling the ball.

Chelsea have loads of choices at their disposal, however Rosenior’s facet doubtless lack the standard wanted to solidify their backline and shut the hole on rivals Arsenal on the high.

After all, the Gunners are intent on signing Rennes’ prized defender, so it is clear that Chelsea might hit the jackpot by signing a participant they deem match for Mikel Arteta’s backline position.

In keeping with expertise scout Jacek Kulig, Jacquet is a promising participant who has additionally emerged as a mainstay in Rennes’ robust backline. The French staff is in sixth place within the standings, simply two factors behind Marseille in third place.

Think about how a lot progress he could have made in 5 years. He’s anticipated to be the core of Chelsea’s protection and function the inspiration of a staff that has received a number of titles.