What the stats say about Chelsea’s best defenders and the need for new summer signings | OneFootball

Yesterday we had an interesting look at Marc Cucurella’s stats according to WhoScored. Most fans and pundits agree the left back is having a really good season for Chelsea, so it’s fascinating that he’s only rated as the 17th best left back in the league by their rating system.

We thought it would be interesting to expand that out and look at some other positions. Starting at centre back. We’ve got a lot of options there, and Enzo Maresca has switched between them consistently all season.

So who has been the best, at least by the numbers?

Interestingly, Trevoh Chalobah’s first half of the season, spent with Crystal Palace on loan, puts him at 9th in the league among central defenders. But for actual Chelsea minutes, Tosin Adarabioyo wins. His 6.87 rating puts him 13th among Premier League centre backs with 10 or more appearances.

Wesley Fofana got a 6.76 rating for his 10 games, although injury has meant he’s only played twice since the start of December, and won’t play again this season.

Levi Colwill comes next, in 33rd place in the league with a 6.71 rating. Chalobah’s spell since returning from Palace is given a 6.62.

Chelsea still searching for foundational piece in the middle of their defence

Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill in a montage. (Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

Those numbers largely reflect what the eye test says – we’ve got some good defenders with plenty of talent, but none of them have really been able to stand out this season. It’s no surprise that we continue to be linked with the likes of Dean Huijsen and Marc Guehi as we search for a really reliable defensive option that can be part of a really solid spine.

Our defensive pick for the rest of the season remains Colwill and Chalobah. We feel we’ve had our best showings with them in the team, and it looks like Enzo Maresca agrees.