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

Chelsea appears to be searching for defenders following a turbulent start to the new Premier League season. Despite scoring more goals than only two other teams so far this season, the Blues have yet to keep a clean sheet.

In fact, Mauricio Pochettino's team has conceded more goals than any other side. To quickly fix the leaky defense, the Chelsea boss seems to have made signing a new center-back a priority before the January transfer window.

According to German newspaper Bild, the Blues have already contacted Bayer Leverkusen to inquire about Quansah's availability. The player's contract at the BayArena expires in June 2030. The report also states that Chelsea faces strong competition from Real Madrid for the 23-year-old.

The report claims that Real Madrid has previously been "very interested" in Quansah and has been "following his performance in Germany very closely." Bild also adds that Pochettino wants to bring in at least two new defenders for the squad in January, and the English international has been identified as a target.

Liverpool is also considered a potential destination for Quansah. Liverpool sold him to the Bundesliga club for £35 million in August 2023. The German media believes that the Reds can activate a buy-back clause before June 2027, re-signing the Englishman for €70 million (£59.8 million), which would also give Chelsea an idea of his potential value.

Against this backdrop, football.london journalists discussed whether the Blues should sign Quansah.

While I appreciate Quansah, I don't think Chelsea needs him right now. Aränsköld is perfectly capable of deputizing for Wesley Fofana on the right side of Pochettino's back three. Even if Fofana leaves the Blues in January, the club should prioritize strengthening the starting XI rather than squad depth.

In my opinion, it's a difficult choice between Quansah and Aränsköld for the right center-back position; but if Chelsea instead pursued Tomás Araújo of Benfica, I think the answer would be clearer. At 24, Araújo is one of the most talented defenders in world football and would be a smart signing for a Premier League club.

Overall, I think Chelsea should avoid signing Quansah and instead consider promoting Aränsköld or upgrading the position with Araújo. For me, the former Liverpool player's overall ability is far inferior to Araújo's.

This deal only makes sense if Wesley Fofana leaves. If that happens in January or next summer, then I'm all for it. But if not, does Chelsea really need to spend a lot of money on Quansah? Aränsköld is already in the squad.

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

For the past few years, we've heard from within Chelsea that the club hierarchy highly rates Aränsköld. That's good, but now the Blues need to take action; signing Quansah would contradict what we've been hearing.

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

Is there a real need for Quansah to join Chelsea now? I would ask the same question of any of the Blues' transfer targets—considering they heavily rebuild their squad every summer, attempting to improve their chances of winning the Premier League, only to repeatedly fall short.

Of course, it cannot be denied that Quansah would be a valuable signing, as he is currently performing exceptionally well at Bayer Leverkusen. Let's not forget that this versatile center-back already has extensive Premier League experience, having joined Liverpool in 2023.

However, given Chelsea's failure to find a suitable replacement for the departed Enzo Fernández, the Blues should prioritize signing a new midfielder in the January window. Romain Carathéus's failed transfer from Monaco to Stamford Bridge has also caused problems with Mauricio Pochettino's midfield setup; if the manager wants to establish himself in his new role, this issue must be addressed as soon as possible.

Chelsea should not sign Quansah. Although the Bayer Leverkusen defender could be stronger than Wesley Fofana if he played on the right side of a back three, Aränsköld would be a much better option.

If the Blues are prepared to spend big in the January transfer window, they should first consider replacing Enzo Fernández. While Mauricio Pochettino needs to fix this leaky defense, many of Chelsea's defensive vulnerabilities will disappear once the midfield issues are resolved.

Moïse Kean's absence served as a wake-up call for the Blues. Chelsea's midfield cannot function solely through one player; it needs a top operator to support him, a player who can dominate the game both on and off the ball.

Ultimately, the Blues should first sign a replacement for Fernández before considering strengthening the defense. Even then, when Pochettino plans to reinforce the defense, he needs a world-class center-back, like Virgil van Dijk when he joined Liverpool, to elevate Chelsea to a higher level.

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