Thomas Tuchel has made an honest admission regarding Chelsea as they deal with the exit of Antonio Rudiger following the start of the new season.
The German departed on a free transfer at the end of his contract earlier this year, with the Blues struggling to bring in replacements so far.
Kalidou Koulibaly arrived from Napoli for a fee of £34 million during the transfer window, while the Blues failed in moves for the likes of Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde.
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Chelsea are now in negotiations with Leicester City over a move for Wesley Fofana, with Brendan Rodgers previously admitted that initial bids have been rejected.
He revealed: “There's been an offer to the club, but nowhere near the valuation of our ownership. We didn't even think about it.”
Despite this, Chelsea are willing to bid up to £85 million for the 21-year-old as Tuchel looks to complete his defensive rebuild this summer.
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Losing Rudiger was no doubt a huge blow to Chelsea, with the head coach now making an admission regarding ‘pace and speed’ for the Blues after Rudiger’s departure.
As quoted by The Daily Mail, Tuchel said: “Pace and speed is an issue.
“In all signings, this is the demand of the game that you can play one on ones, that you can defend space if needed with high-speed runs.”
Chelsea have brought in Marc Cucurella alongside Koulibaly, who can play on the left side of a back three as well as at left wing-back, giving Tuchel a different kind of profile to that of Rudiger.
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Koulibaly is a bit more similar, showing his direct passing and runs through the middle of the park, as Rudiger was coached to do under Tuchel.
The German head coach continued to discuss Chelsea’s need for a succession plan in their defence at Stamford Bridge, which could include Levi Colwill, who departed on loan to Brighton last week.
“It is a lot of experience (with Silva, Azpilicueta and Koulibaly) and they have their quality and know what they are doing,” Tuchel said on the current defensive options.
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“We need to make sure we have a new generation to take over in the next years but the guys are strong, that is why they have our trust. Yes, there needs to be a balance.”
Signing Fofana would provide Chelsea with a long-term solution in their backline as they look to build a competitive squad for the coming years.
It remains to be seen as to who else will be part of the long-term defence at Chelsea, with several names being linked to the Blues.
Josko Gvardiol is a long-term target for Tuchel, with a move for the defender possible next summer.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Antonio Rudiger, Thomas Tuchel, Football
Nick Emms