Chelsea have shown signs of improvement under Enzo Maresca through four Premier League fixtures in the 2024/25 season, making a huge statement with a six-goal showing against Wolves a couple of weeks ago.
Although Chelsea are getting better, results like the draw against Crystal Palace show that there is still more work to be done at Stamford Bridge before the Blues can confidently secure Champions League football again.
Much of the discussion around Chelsea focuses on the attack, which was strengthened with the addition of Jadon Sancho at the deadline, but the defense also needs to step up and perform to the level that its young starters are capable of.
Chelsea are considering adding one more center back to the mix to compete with Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill, as Fofana, in particular, hasn’t convinced as a starting center back despite his talent.
According to a report from Diario Sport, Chelsea have recently made another inquiry about signing Barcelona star center back Jules Kounde, who started as a right back in the 2022/23 season when the Blaugrana won LaLiga.
Kounde was actually courted heavily by Chelsea in 2022 from Sevilla, but the top LaLiga center back elected to stay in Spain, snubbing Chelsea to head to the Camp Nou.
The Frenchman has only enhanced his reputation at Barcelona and stayed this past summer despite bizarre transfer rumors linking him to an exit with a crowd of center backs, as Barca were contemplating sacrificing Kounde to generate a hefty fee so that they could sign a star forward.
Kounde could reportedly leave for 60 million euros if Barcelona decide to let him go in January, which remains unclear. It makes sense for Chelsea to want Kounde, as the former Sevilla man is in his prime at 25 years old and is better than any of the Blues’ current central defenders.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.