Enzo Maresca has challenged Chelsea to sign a new centre back this summer to replace the injured Levi Colwill, insisting his current options are not suitable for the role.
Colwill will miss the majority of the 2025–26 campaign after suffering an ACL injury and Maresca has already gone public with his desire to find a replacement for a player who played such a crucial role in his setup.
Many were quick to highlight the fact that, on paper, Maresca already has plenty of options at his disposal. For his two-man formation, the Blues boss still has Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Benoît Badiashile, Aarón Anselmino and Josh Acheampong to call upon. However, when this was put to Maresca, the Blues boss brutally explained how Tosin is the only player capable of performing in the centre of a setup which becomes a back three during games.
“The one in the middle in my way is so, so, so important,” Maresca explained.
“We said many times that we are able to create chances and to attack in the right way if we are able to build in the right way. Levi was a huge part of our build-up and now he is out. We are trying to find a solution internally but the club know exactly what I think. I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution but the club know exactly what I think.
“[Fofana] needs to be fit, first of all, and then he can do it. He played 45 minutes in that position and it was the first half against Bournemouth away if you remember—probably one of the worst halves since we started.
'Benoit playing in the middle, the Conference League final, first half, we were losing 1–0. Then we changed with Levi and we won 4–1. So it’s not the same.”
Chelsea are focused on attacking reinforcements, namely RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, but could be forced to rethink their plans after Maresca’s brutal message.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘The Club Knows What I Think’—Enzo Maresca Issues Brutal Chelsea Transfer Plea.