Jeramine Pennant cannot fathom why Chelsea didn’t pursue a summer move for former player Marc Guehi to address their defensive weaknesses.
Chelsea started the season positively, but they are now winless in their last three games in all competitions since the September international break.
A midweek loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League was compounded by a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday to leave Enzo Maresca’s side seven points adrift of Liverpool at the top.
Following Robert Sanchez’s latest mistake in goal, the spotlight has once again been shone on Chelsea’s perceived lack of strength in defensive positions.
Maresca stood by Sanchez over the summer, but did call for the club to sign another centre-back after the ACL injury suffered by Levi Colwill in pre-season.
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Ultimately, the Blues did not opt to sign another centre-half, which Pennant believes was a mistake.
And the former Premier League winger believes that decision looks even more questionable in hindsight when their former academy talent Guehi could have been available on the cheap.
The Crystal Palace captain saw a move to Liverpool collapse on deadline day, but Pennant reckons Chelsea should have made their move earlier in the window and secured Guehi’s services.
‘That one is absolutely crackers, that, to not go for Guehi,’ he told talkSPORT.
‘When you lose your main centre-back — out for the season — and you’ve got Guehi available. 40 million, just to make sure the deal’s done and they don’t go do it.’
Elsewhere, Jamie Carragher insisted that Chelsea’s lack of quality at the back means they can’t be considered as true contenders in this season’s title race.
‘My criticism with Chelsea is that in the actual three and a half years [the owners] have been there that you can still have that team and we are saying no chance for the league,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘And Chelsea fans know that. If you go back to Chelsea teams that won the league, who did they have as goalies? (Petr) Cech and (Thibaut) Courtois.
‘That just tells you everything you need to know as a Chelsea fan, and my big problem is nothing to do with Maresca as such, but that three and a half years in, with the money that’s been spent, you turn up at Old Trafford with the goalkeeper and the centre-backs that you’ve got.
‘That just can’t win you the league. There is no league in 100 years where the standard of those players in those positions for Chelsea right now can win the league. It just can’t happen.’
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