Chelsea prepares for £68million “large CB talent” action

Chelsea may want to strengthen their offensive options under Enzo Maresca, and while there are many options available, it’s a defensive aspect that Italians must focus on.

Stamford Bridge’s success is built on a series of top central defenders. John Terry is the most famous name.

The Briton, who has served as the Blues captain in five Premier League champions and Champions Leagues, is arguably the best British defender of his generation.

Thiago Silva also won the Champions League footsteps a few years later. By the time he joined Chelsea, the veteran Brazilian might not have reached the peak of his power, but he has not denied his influence.

Elsewhere, Gary Cahill and Marcel Desailly are also defensive cores for the Blues in London spells.

There are also some unparalleled players, those who may lurk in the shadows, compared to Terry, Silva and even De Dili.

A name for Ricardo Carvalho. The Portuguese defender followed Mourinho from Porto to Chelsea in the summer of 2004, and of course he was one of his smartest signings.

Ricardo Carvalho’s Chelsea record

Carvalho was a major member of Mourinho’s Porto side, taking over Europe’s power and gaining the upper hand. The club won the UEFA Cup in 2003 and then won the shockwave across the continent with a Champions League victory in the 2003/04 season.

Of course, Mourinho wouldn’t stick with it and then moved to Stamford Bridge, he immediately went to sign Carvalho for a £20m regional fee.

“He proved during the 2004 euro that he proved that he was one of the most central defenders in the game in the past two seasons,” CEO Peter Kenyon said after arriving.

The defender will make a total of 210 appearances in all Blues over the next six seasons. He also won three Premier League titles and three FA Cups, and despite winning the European Prime Minister’s Club match, he escaped him.

His partnership with Terry was key to Chelsea, with only 15 goals in Mourinho’s first Premier League season, a top record still reserved.

Perhaps not the fastest player, Carvalho makes up for his excellent position skills and intelligence pace.

He was able to anticipate opposition attackers and shut down the game, limiting the number of times the opponent would pass the ball over him.

Carvalho is not the highest, but the sublime air, winning his air battle and defending the scene while being a command.

The Portuguese centre-back may be Terry’s Batman’s Robin, but the two complement each other.

The Blues have not had a Portuguese defender like him since he left in the summer of 2010. Will this summer change?

Chelsea’s goal move

Maresca looks like he plans to overhaul his defense this summer. Axel Disasi was excluded from the club’s World Cup and seemed destined to leave the club.

Ben Chilwell was also left out of the travel squad, and Benoit Badiashile might be away from London. If these three are on vacation, that’s for sure.

A new report by Portuguese news outlet A Bola (as a witness through sports) claims that the Blues are now targeting Benfica Centre-Back-Back Tomás Araújo.

According to the report, Araujo is “the pinnacle of Chelsea’s target list” and the Blues are ready to go all out to ensure his service.

The 23-year-old recently won a new contract at the club after last semester. This continues until 2029 and has issues worth 80 million euros (£68 million).

While Benfica doesn’t want to sell one of their precious assets, Chelsea’s money makes them an offer they can’t refuse.

Much depends on the outcome of the club’s World Cup, but this is a deal Maresca will be watching closely.

If he does turn to the Blues, can he be Carvalho 2.0?

Why Chelsea must sign Thomas Araucho

Araujo’s ability to read games and put out attacks is one of his key qualities, echoing Carvalho’s competitors.

However, his forward-looking ability is arguably his best feature. Compared to his positional companions over the next 14 games, Araujo has performed well in a range of ball metrics.

Not only did he rank the top 6% of improvement passes per 90 points (5.3), but he ranks the highest 2% (1.52) in the top 2% (1.52) in the first 365 days, the highest 1% (0.70) in the successful earnings (0.70) and progressive passes (2.22).

This shows that he likes to always move the ball forward, often breaking through dangerous areas to help the midfield and attack.

Analyst Ben Mattinson is described as a “technical play center back” and is known to step into the midfield sometimes, especially on the right.

This flexibility makes Araujo – who is talented scout Jacek Kulig called the “talent of the big central defender” – a great goal for Maresca this summer, although largely depending on the cost required by Benfica.

With those who look likely to leave Chilwell, Disasi and Badiashile, there will certainly be enough money to bring Portuguese talent to Stamford Bridge.

Carvalho has demonstrated his talent during his six years in London, and there is no doubt that Araujo can follow in the footsteps of next season and beyond.

The chance to challenge the trophy under Champions League football and Italian trophy is surely all the temptations that the 23-year-old has made up his mind in the coming weeks.

If so, it could be one of the best businesses the club does in the entire transfer window.