Chelsea have been tipped to move for a “dominant” Germany international defender who is “exactly” what Enzo Maresca needs, coming amid the Blues’ major shortage of centre-back options.
Enzo Maresca demands centre-back signing for Chelsea
Before their 2-1 win over Premier League champions Liverpool, it was reported that Maresca is unhappy with Chelsea’s current squad, as he believes the west Londoners are still light in key areas (Simon Phillips).
The most obvious area of Maresca’s team that’s in desperate need of reinforcement is centre-half, and this was on full display against Liverpool on Saturday, after Chelsea elected not to invest a portion of their £285 million summer spend into a natural central defender in the summer.
The Premier League’s biggest summer spenders
Team
Spent
Received
Net Spend
Liverpool
£415,000,000
£187,000,000
£228,000,000
Chelsea
£285,000,000
£288,000,000
-£3,000,000
Arsenal
£255,000,000
£9,000,000
£246,000,000
Newcastle
£250,000,000
£152,000,000
£98,000,000
Man Utd
£216,000,000
£68,000,000
£148,000,000
Nottm Forest
£205,000,000
£107,000,000
£98,000,000
Tottenham
£181,000,000
£36,000,000
£145,000,000
Sunderland
£162,000,000
£44,000,000
£118,000,000
Man City
£152,000,000
£53,000,000
£99,000,000
West Ham
£124,000,000
£55,000,000
£69,000,000
via BBC
With Trevoh Chalobah (suspended), Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill all unavailable for the game, Maresca was forced to start a pairing of youngster Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile, with the latter only just returning from injury himself.
Chelsea’s boss publicly requested a centre-back signing before summer deadline day on September 1, but it is believed that BlueCo are in agreement with their manager that one should be a “priority” for January instead (Pete O’Rourke).
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and co-sporting director Paul Winstanley in the stands before the match
They’re already making plans in that regard, having reached out to Marc Guehi’s camp last week over a potential cut-price January move with the England international’s contract expiring at the end of 2025/2026.
Chelsea tipped to move for Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck
Now, ex-Premier League chief scout Mick Brown, who remains well-connected in the beautiful game, has “heard” that Chelsea are looking at Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck as a potential option.
Nico Schlotterbeck for Borussia Dortmund.
The Germany international’s deal runs out in just under two years, meaning he could be available for a potentially doable fee in the winter window, and this is something that Chelsea are actively considering.
“Schlotterbeck is somebody I’ve seen a fair bit of,” he told Football Insider.
“At first I had a few concerns about his lack of pace, but he has got better and better and turned himself into a very capable defender.
“He’s a dominant centre-back, a regular for Germany, and a very defensive option who likes to win tackles, win headers and take charge of the back line.
“I think he’s exactly the type of player Chelsea need, because I’ve heard they’ve been having a look at him.
“They need to improve in defence because their current options aren’t good enough, it’s harsh but I think that’s been proven already this season.
“He would certainly be an improvement on what they’ve got at the moment, and it might not be easy to get him because Dortmund won’t want to lose him, but he’s somebody they seem to have identified who could improve their defence.
“If they’ve done the work and done their due diligence, I can see them making a move for him.”
The 25-year-old, who captains Dortmund regularly, also has a questionable injury record — so BlueCo need to tread carefully here.
Schlotterbeck missed a large portion of this calendar year with a meniscus tear, which stretched into Dortmund’s Club World Cup campaign and early this season after he was sidelined near the end of 2024/2025.
The towering defender may not be a reliable ever-present depending on his fitness issues, but could be a very reliable back-up option as Maresca continues not to select ‘bomb squad’ member Axel Disasi.
