Before his January transfer to Chelsea, young center-back Benoit Badiashile was the subject of interest from European powerhouses Barca and Liverpool
One of the many fresh figures at Stamford Bridge this season is Badiashile. He joined the Blues as their first acquisition of the January transfer season, leaving Monaco on a seven-and-a-half-year contract for an estimated £34 million.
While many of Chelsea’s high-profile additions have had trouble adjusting, the Frenchman has had an immediate effect. He has only allowed two goals while helping to contribute to three clean sheets in his five games in England. The 21-year-situation, old’s however, could have been very different. According to Football.london, Barca and Liverpool were interested in Badiashile before he joined Chelsea.
Currently, La Blaugrana have the highest defensive record among the top five leagues in Europe. They have only given up eight goals in 23 league outings. They now have a comfortable seven-point lead at the summit of La Liga as a result of this. However, Gerard Pique’s departure in November has left the Catalan team somewhat understaffed at center-back.
Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Eric Garcia are their only senior choices at the centre of the defence, though regular right-back Jules Kounde is also capable of filling in there. In the past year, there has been intense rivalry between Chelsea and Barcelona in the transfer market. Last summer, the two players competed for Kounde and Raphinha, with both players favouring a transfer to the Camp Nou. Liverpool’s backline hasn’t been as reliable as normal, to be honest. There are worries that the talented centre back Virgil van Dijk may be slipping off the pace because he has recently played far below his peak.
Joel Matip will turn 32 this summer and may shortly need to be replaced. Joe Gomez has not made as much headway as anticipated, and Ibrahima Konate has experienced injury problems. In an effort to restart their season, Chelsea will play Leeds United at home next. After that, after losing the first game 1-0, comes the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 matchup against Borussia Dortmund.
See More:
- Top 5 fastest Chelsea players 2023: current fastest player this season!
- Top five highest paid Chelsea players
