Exclusive: Chalobah situation will force Chelsea to enter the market for a new centre-back in 2024

After yet another defeat against Brentford – their third on the spin at Stamford Bridge to the same opponent, a new Premier League record – Chelsea’s hierarchy will understand just how desperate the club will be for some new signings.

Given just how many incomings and outgoings there have been over the past few windows, yet more upheaval is surely not healthy for the west Londoners.

A team and a club that need stability are still, seemingly, hopping from one disaster to another.

With Mauricio Pochettino in situ, everything was supposed to settle down, the Argentinian bringing a sense of calmness to Stamford Bridge.

Whilst his influence on the squad can be seen, perhaps the job was bigger than even he first imagined because the Blues are still taking two steps back after one forward.

One player that can’t be blamed for the malaise at the club is Trevoh Chalobah. Initially sidelined but now injured, the player will definitely leave Chelsea in 2024, forcing another rethink at the back.

‘I can say that Chelsea are also looking into a new centre-back signing for 2024. It’s because the decision of the club – which is now 100 percent confirmed – is to sell Trevoh Chalobah in the January transfer window,’ CaughtOffside columnist, Fabrizio Romano, wrote in his exclusive Daily Briefing.

‘He would love to stay at Chelsea, he wants to play more, but there is no space for him and he doesn’t want to be stuck on the bench. Now he’s injured of course, but Chalobah’s future is elsewhere.’

Finding a centre-back at the level needed and for the right price is likely to prove difficult, though not impossible, and one player that could be of interest to Pochettino is Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba.

‘Chelsea will look at the opportunities in the January transfer window, then it depends if they find the right player at the right price,’ Romano continued.

‘One more player to watch is Edmond Tapsoba […] he’s having a fantastic campaign with Bayer Leverkusen. He did extend his contract there in September, but there is a possibility for him to leave in 2024 with a big proposal.

Whomever the club end up identifying as the right man for the job, they’ll need to hit the ground running when they join.

Chelsea owner, Todd Boehly, is believed to have given Pochettino his backing, though a poor second half of the campaign could see that support withdrawn, given that any signings will have been authorised by the manager rather than being bought on the whims of an owner that should know better.