Chelsea’s defensive numbers this season, Enzo Maresca’s first campaign in charge at Stamford Bridge, certainly catch the eye for the right reasons.
According to FBref, they have been one of the outstanding sides at the back, conceding just 43 goals across the entire campaign.
That was bettered by three sides, namely Manchester City, newly-crowned champions Liverpool and runners-up Arsenal. The West Londoners are also one of eight sides who have kept double-figure clean sheets this term, with ten to their name.
Yet, they are still not at the level they need to be in order to challenge for the title, highlighted by the fact that the top two in the league have conceded fewer goals. Thus, it may not be a surprise to learn the Blues are targeting a new defender this summer.
Chelsea’s new defensive target
If there is one defender who has been consistently linked with a move away from his current club, it is Dean Huijsen. However, with the Bournemouth centre-back heading in the direction of Real Madrid, they need to source an alternative.
That alternative could be Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite. With the rumour mill continuously in motion for 12 months or so, he could finally be on his way out of the club this summer.
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According to a report from former chief scout of Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers, Mick Brown, talking with Football Insider, the Blues have ‘been looking at’ a deal to bring Branwthaite to Stamford Bridge this summer.
However, the defender, who has played for England as recently as last summer, will not come cheap.
The report suggests that Everton will ask for as much as £100m for their star centre-back, which is money they could reinvest into the squad as a new era dawns on the Blue half of Merseyside.
Why Branthwaite could be Chelsea's new John Terry
Should the West London outfit convince Branthwaite to swap the Blue of Everton for the Blue of Chelsea, he could become their new John Terry. The former Blues skipper is an all-time great, described by Jamie Redknapp as “the best Premier League defender” he’s ever seen.
The 44-year-old is a five-time English top-flight champion and also won one Champions League title for Chelsea.
He made an incredible 717 appearances for his boyhood club and was the club captain for 13 years.
There are certainly similarities between the two. Not only are they both England internationals, with plenty of potential, as the numbers behind Branthwaite’s season have shown, but they are leaders, too.
Of course, Terry was a huge leadership figure for Chelsea for over a decade, but Branthwaite has already captained England U21s as recently as March. He also has the potential to captain Chelsea one day, if his early forays into leadership are anything to go by. His performances on the pitch also do a lot of the talking.
Indeed, it has been yet another strong campaign for Branthwaite, helping to keep the Toffees in the Premier League after what was a poor start to the season. He has been a key player under both Sean Dyche and David Moyes.
This season, the 22-year-old, who was born in Carlisle, has played 33 games for Everton. 30 of those appearances have come in the Premier League, helping to keep nine clean sheets in the top flight so far.
Not only is he a “colossal” presence at the back, according to Statman Dave, but Branthwaite also offers a threat in the opposition box. Although he has gone without a goal this season, he has bagged four times across his short Everton career so far.
The numbers via Sofascore from Branthwaite’s last two seasons in the top flight show just how well he has performed in an Everton shirt. For example, this season, he has made 63 tackles and interceptions, although last term was even higher, with an impressive 116 tackles and interceptions.
Passes completed
981 (35)
1098 (31.7)
Long balls completed
73 (2.1)
85 (3)
Long ball accuracy
40.1%
45.2%
Tackles and interceptions
116 (3.3)
63 (2.3)
Aerial duels won
95 (2.7)
62 (2.2)
On the ball, the defender has an eye for a pass, which again is highlighted by the numbers. In the 2023/25 campaign, he has played 85 long balls at 45.2% accuracy, an improvement on last season’s 73 long balls with a 40.1% pass accuracy.
£100m is a huge price tag, but the West London side could finally replace Terry, something they have struggled, and ultimately failed, to do for a number of years now.
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