It may be tempting for Chelsea to sign one central defender from Germany this summer.
Because of Thiago Silva’s contract situation and the amount of injuries Chelsea have had at the back this season, the club look set to enter the transfer market for a new centre-half.
In the past, the Blues have wanted to sign Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano, who is being managed by former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel right now.
According to a report from The Guardian in 2021, Tuchel was a big admirer of the 25-year-old and the two-time Champions League winners were interested in him.
In the end, Upamecano would go on to join Bayern from RB Leipzig in a £38m deal. Fast forward to now, though, and Chelsea could have another chance to sign the Frenchman. But should they actually consider it?
Why could Chelsea have the chance to sign Dayot Upamecano?
Things are not going well for Upamecano at the moment.
He recently picked up not one, but two red cards, though it is fair to say that Bayern as a whole have struggled this season. Tuchel’s men currently find themselves 10 points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the title race.
But focusing on Upamecano, he has definitely had his struggles this season.
A report from L’Equipe has now claimed that the France international could consider his options in the summer, with his entourage not ruling anything out.
If Chelsea do reignite their interest in Upamecano, it is something club legend John Terry may be on board with. Terry says the former Leipzig star is a player who he really likes.
Should Chelsea register their interest in Dayot Upamecano?
While Mauricio Pochettino may be in need of a new central defender, the Argentine should look elsewhere before considering Upamecano.
He has certainly got some good attributes. For example, over the last year, Upamecano has ranked in the 97th percentile for progressive passes among his positional peers (FBref). He is the kind of central defender who could help Pochettino’s side to build from the back.
However, Upamecano makes way too many mistakes. The two penalties he gave away and the two red cards he picked up in recent games against Lazio and Bochum show just what a calamity the Bayern man can be at times.
At 25, Upamecano has time to iron that out of his game. But being in his mid 20s, he is certainly not a baby anymore and should be doing better. He is probably not the solution for Chelsea.