Jason Cundy names Chelsea ace he’s still “very much on the fence” with | OneFootball

Jason Cundy has praised Benoit Badiashile for his performance against Leicester but admitted he’s still on the fence with the Frenchman as a player.

Badiashile was one of a number of signings that arrived in a very busy 2023 January window, with the Blues paying Monaco in the region of £35m.

The 23-year-old made an instant impact as he slotted straight into Graham Potter’s struggling side and put in a series of impressive performances.

Cundy still on the fence with Badiashile

However, he picked up an injury at the back end of that season which ruled him out for a number of months and had a knock on effect heading into the 2023/2024 campaign.

The France international made 22 appearances in all competitions, with 18 coming in the league but he looked a shadow of the player from his first six months at the club as he made a number of individual errors.

Under Enzo Maresca Badiashile has very much been a squad player with his opportunities mainly coming in the cup competitions.

His start against Leicester was his first league start of the season and his first minutes in the league since the defeat against Liverpool in October.

Badiashile put in an impressive performance against Leicester. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

A lack of playing time has seen reports emerge about his future with Badiashile linked with moves to a host of European clubs.

Chelsea put out a briefing earlier this month stating the defender wasn’t for sale and is very much part of the project moving forward.

Badiashile divides opinion and whilst Cundy was impressed with his performance against the Foxes he admitted he’s still on the fence with him.

“I thought he was excellent. The problem is I’ve sat on shows before and said he was excellent, two weeks later we’re talking about a player that is misplacing passes and making wrong decisions,” he told talkSPORT.

“Look, the best players in the world make the best decisions, that’s why they’re so consistent. Benoit Badiashile, the problem he’s got is as soon as [Malo] Gusto gets fit or as soon as Reece [James] gets fit, I don’t find a place for him.

“Credit to him and credit to the manager, he was excellent. Really, really good. I want to see that again and again and again.

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“I’m still very much on the fence on him, but credit where credit is due, he was superb.”

Badiashile will likely keep his place in the side for Thursday’s Conference League game against Heidenheim, but will probably find himself back on the bench on Sunday against Aston Villa.