Chelsea were in desperate need of signing new central defenders in the summer transfer window after both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left on free transfers. Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah were left as the only senior natural options at the club ahead of the 2022/23 season, but they were soon joined by Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana, with Marc Cucurella, a versatile left back, in a £165million spending spree.
For a variety of reasons the summer trio have struggled to make a significant impact at Stamford Bridge. For Fofana, injuries have plagued his first five months in west London, while a number of disappointing performances have seen Koulibaly and Cucurella face criticism.
Benoit Badiashile then joined in January to help solidify the Chelsea defence under Graham Potter. Following his inclusion in the starting XI, alongside Silva, the Blues were able to keep three consecutive clean sheets.
