All great things must come to an end.
Captain, leader, and legend, John Terry is a Chelsea hero. Having made over 700 appearances for the Blues and winning just about everything possible with the London side, Terry is without doubt Chelsea’s most successful captain.
JT is now 35 years of age, and with his contract set to expire in just eight months time, Antonio Conte must make signing a quality defender his number one priority next summer.
Terry has been sidelined in Chelsea’s last three matches due to an injury to his ankle, and it is safe to say, he has been sorely missed, with Chelsea going two goals down in all three games. Without Terry to manage the back-line, communication between defenders was minimal and defensive errors were all too prominent. Come next May, what will Conte do to ensure his team’s defence does not emulate the performances of the last three fixtures?
With Terry departing at the end of the season, Chelsea will be left with three first-team centre-backs, being Gary Cahill, David Luiz, and Kurt Zouma. Serbian Branislav Ivanovic is also able to play in the centre, but considering his most recent performances and the fact that he too will have his contract expire at the end of the season, it looks increasingly likely that Ivanovic will be departing the club in May.
Clearly, Conte must splash the cash and invest in a top quality defender who possesses the same leadership attributes as Terry, to remedy the obvious flaws in Chelsea’s back-line and add depth to the squad.
Rumours of Leonardo Bonucci moving to Stamford Bridge have resurfaced since Chelsea’s staggering 3-0 loss to Arsenal, and if Conte could lodge a large enough bid to Juventus, the Italian may just be the man to take on Terry’s role.
Bonucci’s physicality and stature would make an easy transition to the tenacity of the Premier League, and with his play-making abilities, Bonnuci would be a strong addition to any Premier League side.
Having played under Conte already at Juventus, it seems as though Bonucci and Chelsea are a match made in heaven and one that could happen come summer 2017.
According to Goal, Juventus may try and hold out for a fee of at least £50million, meaning that Abramovich and the Chelsea board would have to supply Conte with significant funds to see Bonucci become a blue.
Goal has also reported that Chelsea are interested in signing ex-Manchester United centre-back Michael Keane, who currently plays for the recently promoted Burnley.
Keane has been identified as a possible long-term replacement to John Terry, and it is speculated that the 23-year old would be available for an estimated £25million. The move would also prove beneficial in helping Chelsea to abide by the Premier League homegrown players rule.
It is unknown as to what Conte will do and who he will sign once the summer transfer window opens once more, but one thing is for sure; Chelsea will struggle without defensive reinforcements.
