Chelsea’s Defense Is Crying Out for an Elite Center Back. But who? | OneFootball

Everybody and their nan could see that all Enzo Maresca wanted for Christmas was a center-back for his defense. Not too much to ask for.

Instead, he got a late Christmas present of a sack and a holiday until Manchester City comes calling.

Upon the appointment of Liam Rosenior, Eghbali decided that Liam was his favorite child and has now indulged in the transfer market to find a center back for Chelsea. But who should they go for? Let’s look over the options.

What does Chelsea need?

Before we start throwing names around, let’s look at what Chelsea needs in the new signing to help propel them back into the top 4.

We are going to be judging the suitable options on 3 criteria: the ready-now aspect. Chelsea needs a player to come in and be able to play every game straight away, not a prospect or a future star. A ready-made Chelsea standard center-back.

Our second criterion is Prem experience; it comes with the ready-made aspect, but the player needs to know the Prem. It’s the toughest league in the world for a reason; one day you’re playing against brutes like Haaland, Igor Thiago, and Calvert-Lewin; the next week you’ve got technically savvy strikers who want to drop deep and get involved in the build-up like Woltemade; and the next week you have to try to understand whatever a ‘Gyokeres’ is…Arsenal dig, TICK.

Our third requirement is being able to play in a back 3 and a back 4. We’re setting up this player to play the rest of this season without Levi Colwill but be able to play with Colwill next season, both as a back 4 and a back 3, so let’s get started.

Jeremy Jacquet

A young French center back coming out of Ligue 1 side Rennes, at 20 years old he has been tipped for a massive move this summer, but Chelsea are looking to jump the gun and get there first this January.

According to reports, Chelsea have agreed to personal terms with the player and are looking to finalize a deal with Rennes, who look to record a club record sale of over 75 million pounds as of writing on the 17th of January.

I can see this deal happening because a young player is BlueCo’s fantasy, but I think we should stay away.

We need Premier League experience and someone who has played more than 54 senior games at club level—a good investment for the future, but not for right now.

He’ played in every position of a back three and has some incredible ball progression stats but needs more time, something Chelsea doesn’t have.

Nathan Collins

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JANUARY 04: Nathan Collins of Brentford acknowledges the fans after the team’s victory in the Premier League match between Everton and Brentford at Hill Dickinson Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The Brentford captain has been phenomenal this season for the Bees; paired up with Irish manager Keith Andrews, they have the Bees flying high this season after many pitched them for relegation.

He would cost a massive amount but has 5 years of Premier League experience and has played in a back 3 at Brentford and a back 4, the same at the international level.

Comfortable on the ball, a commanding presence, and a leader, a suitable option at only 24 years of age. Don’t think Brentford would let him jump ship in January; could be a summer signing to sniff around, though.

NATHAN AKÉ

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Nathan Ake of Manchester City claps the fans after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on September 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Bringing Nathan Aké back to the bridge to steady the ship would’ve been my ideal scenario as a loan deal 2 months ago, to then go after someone like Nathan Collins or Alessandro Bastoni in the summer.

With City’s injury woes in the defensive line recently, it looks like he may be taken off the for-sale window. More than capable of playing out from the back, comfortable in a 3-back or a 4-back playing left back, stepping into midfield.

Not the flashiest of names, but an effective one. On the brink of turning 31 and having been in the prem for 10 years, he has experience oozing out of his eyes, and for what it’s worth, he progressed out from the Blues academy, propah Chels.

Harry Maguire

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 17: Harry Maguire of Manchester United applauds the fans after the team’s victory during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on January 17, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Hear me out, don’t shout at me, I convinced myself; I can convince you too. Maguire is the epitome of a professional. He puts his massive head down, gets the work done, never complains, and is a proper leader.

Give him time to work with Levi, Josh, Hato, and Chalobah, and his short stint at the club could be a great one. Out of contract in the summer with no signs of an extension, a cheeky 5 or 10 mil bid towards United might be enough to lure Slabhead away.

Vast amounts of experience, can play in any formation, a leader, and a threat in the box when needed—the only red flag would have to be his injury record in the past few months.

Chelsea has been gasping for a center back for months, but the ownership hasn’t been listening. When Maresca called them out, he got the boot, but the issue still remains.

Who do you think Chelsea should be looking at in January to help bolster Liam Rosenior’s defense? Let us know in the comments.