Joe Cole has a lot of good friends still within the Chelsea hireachy, and he is very much involved with the club still.
So it’s always interesting when he speaks like this. Cole has said that Chelsea are prioritising the defence this window, and he has co-signed a move for Marc Guehi, along with some very heavy praise for the England international.
But he couldn’t help making a cheeky little dig at Chelsea along the way too!
“The priority for Chelsea is in central defence,” Cole said in words quoted by DAZN. “Benoît Badiashile is picking up injuries and Wesley Fofana has been wonderful, but he keeps on breaking down. Levi Colwill is a young player who’s done well but he still needs to develop and improve, and he will do.
“It’s so frustrating for Chelsea because they’ve sold someone like Marc Guehi, and he’s gone on to become a top centre-half which I could see [at the time].
“Guehi is a proper player and he’s in England’s starting line up now and Chelsea are going to have to fork out to get him back. It’s an area that needs to be sorted out at Chelsea.
“Some of the lads, like Axel Disasi, haven’t quite settled as much as the club would’ve liked. I like the links with Marc Guehi but it’s just frustrating that they need to go and buy players that they’ve sold – Chelsea do it far too often!
“If needs must, and it’s the right move, you have to do it and I don’t think there’s a better centre-half in the country, outside of Manchester City and Arsenal, he’s as good as anything there is, and he will get better.”
Some big compliments from Cole, and he also makes a fine point about needing to sign academy players back!
I like Guehi, I think he’s a super solid defender, very calm, has leadership, and is very good on the ball and defensively. I’m not against signing him. I just don’t think he ticks ALL of the boxes that we need. I want an imposing [aerially and on the ground], assertive, organising, vocal, dominant, and aggressive centre back, ideally. And I genuinely think that is what we are missing in that area. As I said earlier this week, he wouldn’t be my first choice and maybe not even my second or third.
But I admire what Cole has said here and he isn’t exactly wrong on Guehi either. Top, TOP player.