Even prior to the tumultuous ownership of Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, Chelsea have always strangely handled centre-backs.
Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma were sold for reasonably cheap prices, whilst Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger were allowed to run down their contracts and leave the club on free transfers.
The Blues’ central defensive situation has been thrown under scrutiny with the future of Levi Colwill having become one of the most dominant headlines of the summer.
What's the latest news on Levi Colwill?
Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion are rumoured to be keenly tracking the homegrown wonderkid, but the west London outfit has insisted he is not for sale and they're set to offer a vastly improved contract offer.
For all their faults, it seems that the new Chelsea regime has recognised the need and quality for homegrown talent in the first team.
By tying down Colwill’s future to Stamford Bridge, it will avoid the repetition of allowing another one of Cobham’s most glistening prodigies to prematurely depart the club – just as what happened to Marc Guehi two summers ago.
In 2021, in search of more regular minutes, Guehi moved across the capital to Crystal Palace for £18m. Now in a sensational turn of events, the Blues are targeting a return for the 23-year-old titan.
What’s the latest on Marc Guehi to Chelsea?
According to The Guardian, Chelsea may attempt to engineer a reunion with Guehi after losing Wesley Fofana to a long-term knee injury.
The 2021 Champions League winners have been forced into the market for a central defender after Fofana had surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
However, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are also interested in the Cobham graduate but are yet to start any formal negotiations.
The report details Chelsea are weighing up whether they need more depth as Mauricio Pochettino already has Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, and Colwill to choose from.
But, Silva is 39 in September, Badiashile is injured and Chalobah is a target for Inter Milan. Therefore, it’s a fluid situation that the Blues will continue to assess.
Is Marc Guehi a good signing for Chelsea?
Since joining Palace, the former Swansea City loanee has established himself as one of the club’s most influential and consistent performers.
He has played in 73 of the Eagles’ last 76 Premier League matches, forming a solid partnership with the ball-spraying Joachim Anderson to cement Palace as a sturdy mid-table side.
The £50k-per-week colossus has even captained Palace on occasion and is of integral defensive importance, averaging 1.2 interceptions and 3.6 clearances per game, the second-highest in the squad for each metric.
A possible return for the Abidjan-born leader could set up a new relationship with Colwill. The 20-year-old spent enjoyed a fabulous loan stint at Brighton and a trip away with the England U21’s, who won the age group's UEFA European Championships.
The youngster has shown he possesses a perfectly curated mix of physicality and ball-playing competence as he ranks within the best 12% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90, as well as the highest 5% for aerials won per 90.
His previous manager Roberto De Zerbi commented on his limitless potential, saying:
“It’s difficult to find another left centre-back with his qualities.
“He’s a good guy, he’s improving a lot. This year his improvement has been fantastic.”
As Guehi and Colwill both have different strong feet, the prospect of them lining up together makes sense and is it an endearing narrative for the Stamford Bridge faithful to finally reap the rewards of their incredible academy.
Guehi, who was hailed “incredible” by BBC Sport’s Alex Howell, is valued at around £50m, but given the Blues' overwhelming financial muscle, this is unlikely to be a stumbling block.