Jules Kounde Signing Could Give Chelsea The Premier League’s Strongest Defence

This summer was always likely to witness a rebuild of the Chelsea squad, particularly in the defensive positions. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s departure from Stamford Bridge left Thomas Tuchel’s backline short of quality, and numbers, with Cesar Azpilicueta another defender who could be on his way out of the club.

Kalidou Koulibaly arrived from Napoli to give Chelsea a new dominant centre back with the Senegalese international seen as one of the best natural defenders in the European game. Many expect Koulibaly to join the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ruben Dias and Raphael Varane as one of the most consistent defensive performers in the PremierPINC
League this season.

Chelsea remain in the market for at least one more defender with Jules Kounde widely believed to be their top target. The Blues have tracked the Frenchman for the best part of two years, but are now closer than ever to agreeing a fee with Sevilla for the player. Other targets, like Josko Gvardiol and Alessandro Bastoni have been mentioned, but Kounde is clearly the man Chelsea want above all others.

Kounde is exceptional in possession. He would give Chelsea a way to play out from the back with the 23-year-old at his best on the right side of a back three. Kounde is also capable of playing on the right side of a back four, something that could tempt Tuchel into switching to a more orthodox backline.

At 37 years old, Thiago Silva won’t be able to play every minute of every match for Chelsea this season and so Tuchel might have no choice but to devise a Plan B to cover for the occasions the Brazilian is unavailable. This could explain why Kounde is still being targeted after the signing of Koulibaly has been completed.

“We have a very strong group who are hard-working, very nice group of players,” Tuchel explained after the signing of Koulibaly. “They like to be with each other. They train intensely, and they are very ambitious. It is very nice to be around them, says the boss. We’ve been together a long time now and there’s still a whole week to go. It’s a very nice group of players and characters, so we are very happy.”

Since his appointment in 2021, Tuchel has built his Chelsea team on sound defensive principles. The Blues won the Champions League title in Tuchel’s first season in charge by maintaining a solid structure at the back and making the most of their opportunities on the counter attack. Last season’s attempts to be a more possession-focused team didn’t work out so well, so Tuchel is seemingly reverting to his default setting.

Liverpool and Manchester City might still have a commanding advantage at the top of the Premier League, but Tuchel has a plan to pull Chelsea closer to them this season. It might take time for the Blues to settle, such is the level of squad turnover at the club this summer, but they might now have a stronger defence than any of their rivals.