Arsenal are set to host Chelsea this weekend. It promises to be an important contest that ends up having an impact on both the Premier League title chase and the race to qualify for the Champions League. But it is not just on the pitch that the two teams find themselves competing.
Oftentimes, Chelsea and Arsenal have found themselves chasing the same transfer targets as well. It looks like another such occasion is upon us.
Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League, with quality options all across the backline. But that has never stopped them from trying to strengthen. That could be especially true now, as Real Madrid are being linked with Gabriel Magalhaes.
On the other hand, the situation is completely different at Chelsea. The defence is the Blues’ weak point. Levi Colwill suffered an ACL injury in pre-season, and without the Englishman, they don’t appear to have a standout centre-back option. In the winter, it looked like they wanted Jeremy Jacquet, but he ended up agreeing a deal to join Liverpool.
The Stamford Bridge outfit had to do with bringing back Mamadou Sarr from his loan at Strasbourg. In the long run, Chelsea might look to sign a centre-back again though.
Chelsea and Arsenal both interested in the same centre-back
According to CaughtOffside, Manchester City and Arsenal are believed to be evaluating bids in the region of €35 million for Honest Ahanor, recognising the Atalanta centre-back’s long-term upside. On the other hand, Chelsea could pursue a structured deal involving a loan spell before integrating him into their first team.
Ahanor is currently at Atalanta. At 18 years of age, the centre-back is already making a decent number of starts for the Champions League side. The sky looks to be the limit for the youngster, who has caught the eye of the Premier League’s biggest teams.
Would Ahanor be the solution for Chelsea?
The answer to that question is probably no. At the end of the day, Ahanor is 18 years of age. It would be unfair to expect him to come in and immediately be a standout performer for a club like Chelsea, even if he is given an extra year to develop at Atalanta, or somewhere else, like Strasbourg.
Truth be told, it does not feel like Chelsea have a clear plan for all the youngsters that they sign. Just look at another of their centre-backs, Aaron Anselmino.
The Argentine was considered the next big thing for his national team before he even made his move to Chelsea. And this season, it had looked like he was starting to deliver on his potential, as he was making an impact at a top club like Borussia Dortmund.
Then, out of nowhere, Chelsea cut short his loan deal. It was not to hand him a spot in the first-team though. Instead, he was sent out on loan to Strasbourg. With all due respect to the French side, that is a couple of steps down from Borussia Dortmund.
It is easy to see someone like Ahanor get caught up in the same cycle. By the time he joins Chelsea, after a year out on loan, there will be another exciting rising centre-back that the Blues will probably be interested in.
