Our Chelsea fans here in the Transfer Tavern are hoping to see some young, English players through the door in the next window. Indeed, after reigning in the spending of late, that seems to be the way things are going. 

Chelsea could possibly move for Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles in the summer. With their current captain Gary Cahill hitting 33 soon and having possibly his worse season at Chelsea so far, a younger model may be needed to replace the stalwart of a defender.

In the bar, many of the regulars believe Lascelles would be a great signing for the Blues, after his performances in the Premier League for the Magpies so far, although feel that there are better and younger defenders out there to target. Undoubtedly an improving defender, there are better options out there.

The Chelsea board are clearly looking at bringing in more English players into the side, with the recent acquisitions of Ross Barkley and Danny Drinkwater over the past couple of transfer windows. With that in mind, our landlord takes a look at TWO possible other defenders to go for…

Harry Maguire

The Leicester City defender has been a revolution this season and certainly gained the eye of many admirers in the Premier League. He’s an old-school defender with a new look edge, he likes to get in and about in the opponent’s box but his real talent is tackling and breaking down the attacks.

He has high concentrations levels which are a must at the top level and often prefers to dribble out and look for a pass instead of the big hoof up the field.

Alfie Mawson

The up and coming defender has started to make a name for himself in the Premier League with Swansea City. Alfie Mawson has played the majority of Swansea’s matches this season and is a key component in their recent turnaround under their new manager.

He doesn’t like to jump into a tackle, often weighing it up beforehand and he feels comfortable playing the long ball out of defence in order to turn defence into attack as quickly as he can.