According to football.london, Quansah has emerged as a potential target for Chelsea ahead of the January transfer window, as Mauricio Pochettino looks to strengthen his defence.

Chelsea appears to be in the market for defenders following a troubled start to their Premier League season. Although they have scored fewer goals than only two other teams this season, the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet.

In fact, Mauricio Pochettino's side has conceded more goals than any other team. To plug the gaps in their leaky defence, the Chelsea manager appears to have made signing a new centre-back a priority for the January transfer window.

According to German media outlet Bild, the Blues have already contacted Bayer Leverkusen to enquire about Quansah's availability. The player's contract with the BayArena runs until June 2030. The report also indicates that Chelsea faces stiff competition from Real Madrid for the 23-year-old.

The report states that Real Madrid previously held "strong interest" in Quansah and has monitored his performances in Germany "very closely". Bild also adds that Real Madrid is hoping to add at least two new defenders to their squad next summer, and the English international has been identified as a target.

Liverpool is also considered a possible destination for Quansah. Liverpool sold him to the Bundesliga club for £35 million in August 2023. German media estimate that the Reds can activate a buyback clause before June 2027 to bring back the Englishman for €70 million (£59.8 million), which could also give Chelsea an approximate idea of his potential transfer value.

In this context, football.london journalists discussed whether the Blues should pursue Quansah.

While I acknowledge Quansah's talent, I don't think Chelsea need him at the moment. Achampong is perfectly capable of backing up Wesley Fofana on the right side of Mauricio Pochettino's three-man defence. Even if Fofana leaves the Blues in January, the club should prioritise strengthening the starting XI rather than squad depth.

In my view, it's a tough choice between Quansah and Achampong for the right centre-back spot; but if Chelsea were to instead pursue Thomas Araújo from Benfica, I think the answer would be clearer. The 24-year-old Araújo is one of the most talented defenders in world football and would be a smart signing for a Premier League club.

Overall, I believe Chelsea should avoid signing Quansah and instead consider promoting Achampong or strengthening the position with Araújo. For me, the overall quality of the former Liverpool player falls well short of Araújo's.

This deal only makes sense if Wesley Fofana leaves. If that happens next summer, or in January, then I'm fully in favour. But otherwise, does Chelsea really need to spend big on Quansah? Achampong is already in the squad.

Quansah is a talented defender and further along in his development than Achampong, but in my opinion, the latter has higher potential than the former.

In recent years, we've heard at Chelsea that the club hierarchy holds Achampong in high regard. That's great, but now the Blues need to act on it; signing Quansah would contradict what we've been told.

If Quansah is a replacement for Fofana, then yes; if he's merely an addition to their existing defensive options, then no.

Is there a real need for Quansah to join Chelsea now? I'd pose the same question to any transfer target for the Blues – given that they embark on massive squad overhauls every summer trying to increase their chances of winning the Premier League, only to fail miserably repeatedly.

Of course, one cannot deny that Quansah would be a valuable acquisition, as he is currently exceptional at Bayer Leverkusen. Let's not forget that this versatile centre-back already has extensive Premier League experience after emerging at Liverpool in 2023.

However, given Chelsea's failure to find a suitable replacement for Enzo Fernández, the Blues should prioritise signing a new midfielder in the January transfer window. The failed transfer of Romain Camacho from Monaco to Stamford Bridge has also caused problems in the functioning of Mauricio Pochettino's midfield pivot; if the manager is to establish himself in his new role, this issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

Chelsea should not sign Quansah. While the Bayer Leverkusen defender would be an upgrade on Wesley Fofana on the right side of a three-man defence, Achampong would be a far better option.

If the Blues are willing to spend big in the January transfer window, they should first consider replacing Enzo Fernández. While Mauricio Pochettino must fix this leaky defence, many of Chelsea's defensive vulnerabilities would disappear once the midfield imbalance is resolved.

Caicedo's absence has served as a wake-up call for the Blues. Chelsea's vice-captain cannot win midfield battles alone; he needs a world-class player to support him, someone capable of dominating the game with and without the ball, just as he does.

Ultimately, the Blues should recruit a Fernández replacement before considering defensive reinforcements. Even then, when Pochettino looks to strengthen the defence, he needs a world-class centre-back, someone like Virgil van Dijk when he joined Liverpool, to take Chelsea to the next level.

Traduit par IA.

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