Chelsea is preparing to see three more central defenders leave this summer. Antonio Rüdiger (29 years old), Andreas Christensen (26) and César Azpilicueta (32) end their contracts on June 30 and will not continue at Stamford Bridge.
The case of the Navarrese is the most uncertain, as his future has not yet been defined, while his other two ‘partners’ in defense point to LaLiga to join the ranks of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, respectively.
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His loss is a hard blow for Thomas Tuchel, who at a stroke will be left without two undisputed starters and without a wild card such as ‘Azpi’, also captain of the English, and capable of playing both in the axis of defense and in midfield. Right side.
Three plants sold
The fans have not hesitated to criticize the management of Chelsea, champion of the Champions in 2021 and that last summer decided to part with three other central defenders who are embroidering it in their respective teams. These are Kourt Zouma (27), Fikayo Tomori (24) and Marc Guéhi (21).
The first to leave was Tomori, who after a season on loan at Milan stayed at San Siro on a permanent basis. The ‘rossonero’ club paid just under 30 million euros for the Englishman, one of Stefano Pioli’s mainstays and that explains why the Italian team is leading in Serie A.
The next to pack his bags was Guéhi, sold to Crystal Palace for 24 ‘kilos’ after gaining experience at Swansea. The Englishman of African origin has made 37 appearances for the ‘eagles’ this season, all as a starter, a sign of Patrick Vieira’s confidence in him.
The last to leave Stamford Bridge was Zouma, who wanted playing time away from Chelsea. West Ham presented itself as an excellent opportunity and he was transferred in exchange for 35 million euros. He’s been a starter whenever he’s been available, though a hamstring injury has cut him short.
Koundé, the favorite
Chelsea decided to cash in with three central defenders with projection and now they see how another three will leave the club for free and leaving a hole in defense that will be difficult to shore up.
If Azpilicueta does not continue either, Thuchel will stay with Thiago Silva, 37 years old, Trevoh Chalobah (22) and Malang Sarr (23), so he should go to the market to reinforce the axis of defense.
In this scenario, Sevilla player Jules Koundé is Chelsea’s number one target, who already tried to sign him last summer, although at that time Sevilla was inflexible and referred to the Frenchman’s clause, established at 90 million euros.
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