Chelsea and Liverpool Splash Over £700m This Summer, Both Regretting Not Signing Guehi

This summer, both CHELSEA and Liverpool led the Premier League in spending, yet they find themselves confronting major defensive issues due to lacking a top-tier centre-back.

Consequently, as they prepare for their match tomorrow at Stamford Bridge, both teams are contending with pressing defensive worries, despite spending over £700 million collectively.

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Despite efforts to land a world-class centre-back, Liverpool’s £35 million bid for Crystal Palace standout Marc Guehi collapsed on deadline day.

Meanwhile, Chelsea opted not to seek Guehi or any experienced central defenders, even after losing key player Levi Colwill to a serious knee injury during pre-season.

This miscalculation, alongside Chelsea’s disciplinary issues, has pushed Enzo Maresca’s squad towards utilizing their SIXTH different centre-back pairing in just 10 matches against Liverpool.

Trevoh Chalobah, who partnered with Benoit Badiashile in their recent Champions League victory over Benfica, is now suspended after receiving a red card in last weekend’s home defeat to Brighton.

Chalobah has played in every match so far but has formed partnerships with five different players along the way.

Fortunately, Maresca has options in Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato, and Badiashile.

However, there are lingering doubts about whether these players—and Chalobah—can deliver the consistency and performance necessary to challenge for major titles.

None of these players hold the caliber of Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk or Arsenal’s William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

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They are also not on par with Guehi, a 26-year-old England international with four full Premier League seasons under his belt.

Fofana has struggled with numerous injuries since joining from Leicester three years ago, and both he and Badiashile are still working on achieving match fitness.

How Palace Avoided Isak-Style Saga with Guehi

Tosin will miss his fifth consecutive match tomorrow due to a calf injury. He is a reliable presence on and off the pitch, yet teams need more than that to win the Premier League and Champions League titles.

Hato was signed for £37 million from Ajax just before Colwill’s injury; however, he mostly played as a left-back in his final season in Holland.

At only 19 years old, he joins fellow Chelsea Academy graduate Acheampong, who has largely been deployed as a right-back so far in his career.

After Colwill’s long-term injury was confirmed, Maresca initially expressed the need for a new signing to fill the gap.

However, the management specified that no new players would be joining.

Instead, the focus shifted to acquiring more attacking talents such as Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buonanotte.

Chelsea prioritizing offensive reinforcements allowed Liverpool to chase Guehi.

Nevertheless, after successfully securing Alexander Isak from Newcastle, the Reds found Crystal Palace less cooperative.

If Liverpool’s management had acted sooner in the summer, Palace would likely have had more time to identify a replacement for Guehi.

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However, West Ham’s late acquisition of Brighton’s centre-back Igor disrupted Palace’s plans to find a replacement for Guehi.

Palace manager Oliver Glasner’s job security would have been at risk had they proceeded to sell Guehi without an adequate defensive replacement.

As a result, Guehi remained and was instrumental in helping his team secure a win last weekend, stopping Liverpool’s perfect season start.

The Reds’ failure to sign Guehi would be less urgent if Ibrahima Konate, the partner to Van Dijk in defense, had not been underperforming significantly.

Last season, some fans directed their criticism towards Trent Alexander-Arnold amidst Real Madrid transfer speculation when his standards dipped.

In contrast, Konate has struggled to regain form, creating challenges for Arne Slot’s team as they adapt to a wave of new signings, including full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

Joe Gomez has only made one start this season in the League Cup against Southampton, playing just 29 minutes in the Premier League due to injuries.

Liverpool also grieve for the ACL injury of Giovanni Leoni, their promising teenage centre-back, echoing Colwill’s situation.

Yet, it’s hard to feel sympathy for either the Reds or the Blues given their lavish summer expenditure without securing a top-quality centre-back.

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