Seven players Chelsea could look at to bolster central defence amid Wesley Fofana injury | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca confirmed Wesley Fofana’s hamstring injury is worse than initially thought and the Frenchman could even miss the rest of this season.

With Benoit Badiashile also out injured, and Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo yet to wholly convince, Chelsea may need to dip into the January transfer market for a quality replacement. But who could they get?

Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

A Premier League proven, young centre-back who has been linked with Chelsea for a number of years and started his career with the Blues, Guehi seems a very possible replacement. The problem would be his price tag and the likelihood of Crystal Palace offloading one of their best players in January.

He is right-footed like Fofana, has similar traits to the Frenchman and has started 19 out of Palace’s 20 league games this season.

Jules Kounde (Barcelona)

Barcelona defender Jules Kounde (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

Another player who has constantly been linked with Chelsea for the last three or four years, Kounde is almost a like-for-like replacement. Adept at playing out from the back and brilliant in the air, winning 84% of his aerial duels this season, Kounde would be a solid option.

With Barcelona struggling financially, as seen with their difficulties in registering Dani Olmo, offloading a player on high wages might appeal to them.

Trevor Chalobah (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea)

Trevoh Chalobah playing for Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

Chalobah is at Crystal Palace on loan, joining from the Blues at the start of this season and has been very good for Oliver Glasner. Chalobah was not in Maresca’s plans at the start of the season but with recent injuries and Chalobah’s decent form he may have to change his mind, especially if the January market dictates that no top options are available. Recalling him would make sense.

Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Jonathan Tah of Bayer Leverkusen (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

Tah’s contract expires at the end of this season and it seems likely he will leave Bayer Leverkusen. The German club may be tempted, six months before his contract ends, to try and pick up a fee for the centre-back.

He has a pass completion rate of 94.3% and is one of the most progressive passers in Europe, completing 4.75 progressive passers per game.

Aaron Anselmino (Chelsea)

Aaron Anselmino (Photo by Daniel Jayo/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

Chelsea may yet decide to stay in-house and promote the young, Argentine defender following his recall from Boca Juniors.

Anselmino has impressed at Boca this season and despite his tender age, he is a commanding presence at centre back.

Three league goals prove the 19-year-old is a threat from set pieces too and this could be influential in Maresca’s final decision on who to replace Fofana with.

Maresca has already stated that Anselmino will remain in and around the first-team squad and some impressive performances in training could mean Chelsea look closer to home for a replacement.

Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth)

Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

The Ukraine international has been superb for high-flying Bournemouth this season as Andoni Iraola’s side continue to flirt with the European places.

Chelsea have already been linked with the 22-year-old who has featured in every Premier League match this season for the Cherries. At six foot two, Zabarnyi’s sizeable frame allows him to dominate in the air and some of the best attackers in the league have struggled to get past the defender.

Bournemouth will not want to lose one of their prized assets midway through the season so it would likely take a huge offer from Chelsea in order to lure him away from the south coast.

Abdukodir Khusanov (Lens)

Maresca has proven that he is willing to give youth a chance with Chelsea competing in both Europe and domestically.

At just 20, Khusanov has been a standout performer in Ligue 1 and Manchester City are reportedly closely monitoring his progress.

The Uzbekistan international is an aggressive, front-footed centre-back which fits Maresca’s style with the Italian keen for attacks to be built from the back.

You would suspect Khusanov would be open to a proposal from Chelsea and he would be a slightly cheaper alternative to other targets, given his relative inexperience.