- Levi Colwill’s absence has hurt Chelsea
- Chelsea missed out on Jeremy Jacquet in the winter
- Chelsea have now set their eyes on a German centre-back
Chelsea are going through a turbulent period lately having won just one of their last five Premier League matches. One of the glaring issues that has impacted the club this season is the lack of defensive depth and quality.
Levi Colwill picked up an unfortunate injury even before the start of the campaign, handing a challenge to Chelsea. Meanwhile the rest of the defenders have failed to live up to expectations further deteriorating the situation.
As a result it is only fair for Chelsea to start looking for potential candidates who could be brought in strengthen their backline. On that note, it looks like the Blues have already contacted a Bundesliga defender over a possible move.
According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea have held ‘serious talks’ over the signing of Karim Coulibaly of Werder Bremen. However they are not alone in the race to secure the signature of the defender with Aston Villa and Newcastle United also showing interest.
Who is Karim Coulibaly?
Coulibaly came through the youth system of multiple German clubs, most recently that of Werder Bremen. He has quickly risen up the ranks and is now regular in the club’s backline.
So far this season, the youngster has appeared in 22 matches in the Bundesliga for Bremen and has even scored a goal. At just 18 years of age, he is already a starter for a top flight German club, which has caught the attention of multiple major European clubs including Chelsea.
Is Karim Coulibaly the right fit for Chelsea?
There is little doubt that Coulibaly has the potential to become a top centre-back. He also aligns with Chelsea’s transfer policy of focusing on talented youngsters.
That said, the Blues are in urgent need of someone experienced to stabilise the backline and bring some leadership to it. That has been missing from the team ever since Thiago Silva left.
It is worth mentioning that Chelsea missed out on another young defender, Jeremy Jacquet, in January despite reaching an agreement on personal terms with the player. Although, that might have been a blessing in disguise as just like Coulibaly he probably wouldn’t have solved the Blues’ issues either.
Anyway, it’s now upto Chelsea management to decide whether they want someone untested or if they will make an exception to their model and bring in a defender proven at the highest level.
