Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was asked about the possibility of signing a new defender at the end of the month after the Blues’ latest injury issue prior to the Premier League opener
Enzo Maresca offered Kurt’s response when asked about his chances of signing a new defender following his side’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace. The Italian refused to talk about the issue, despite picking up another defensive injury in the build up until the Blues’ first Premier League match.
Tosin Adarabioyo was the latest to be on Chelsea’s injury list after being expected to replace Levi Colwill in Maresca’s starting XI. Colwill is expected to miss most of the season after his team returned before the season and undergo surgery with an ACL injury picked up in training.
Against the Eagles, the Chelsea head coach chose to use 19-year-old defender Josh Achairpon, who is at the heart of his defense alongside Trevo Charova. The Academy star performed strong on his way to the clean seat, but problems with Maresca’s defensive options remain after Toshin’s injury.
Speaking Friday, the former Manchester City coach revealed that he wanted a new central defender, but the club would look to internal options. Maresca said: “I think we need a central defender. I’m looking for an internal solution, but like I said, the club knows exactly what I think.”
However, when subjects were broached at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Maresca was not interested in adding fuel to the topic. “Want to talk about the central defender?” he asked the reporter. “I’ve already spoken. Thank you very much.”
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The Blues scored just a few points from the opening game as they were unable to score in their first Premier League home game in 2025. Maresca praised Crystal Palace and has not yet panicked about his team’s performance.
“Tough games, we were expecting a tough game,” Maresca said. “Apart from the free kicks in the first half, we didn’t accept the chance, but they’re a very good team.
“We could have attacked better, we could have defended better, but that’s just the first game of the season.”
The Chelsea boss is not sure when Toshin will be available to him again. “He had physical problems. I don’t know how long,” he said.
“Wes (Fofana) was on the bench, but he was just on the bench to be with us. The plan wasn’t to get minutes.
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