Chelsea’s defensive frailties leave Liam Rosenior in need of Mamadou Sarr | OneFootball

Chelsea remain alive in four competitions but their centre-backs look brittle, so Liam Rosenior is moving to reinforce. According to L'Équipe, he has turned to Mamadou Sarr, whom he coached for a year and a half at Strasbourg.

Chelsea visit the Emirates on Tuesday for the League Cup semi-final second leg, after losing 3-2 on 14 January. A month in, Rosenior has judged central defence the main flaw.

Levi Colwill’s summer ACL injury hamstrung Enzo Maresca, who complained about not receiving a replacement for the 22-year-old. He shuffled through pairings, from Josh Acheampong with Trevoh Chalobah to Tosin Adarabioyo, using 10 centre-back duos. Rosenior has already tried six in seven matches.

Badiashile has not convinced and Fofana remains fragile. Chelsea shed 15 league points after leading under Maresca, and under Rosenior have only two clean sheets. Boos met the 0-2 interval deficit against West Ham before a 3-2 win, while Chalobah clashed with a fan. He is the only regular yet could be sold this summer with two years left.

With Colwill still out, Badiashile replaced at the interval on Saturday, Adarabioyo short of form and Fofana’s minutes managed, a centre-back was essential. Sarr, 20, a Senegal international with four caps, signed in June then was loaned back to Strasbourg after featuring at the Club World Cup. His early return advances Chelsea’s medium-term plan and maximises options across competitions.

Source: L'Équipe