Todd Boehly’s Chelsea revolution is continuing apace with promising centre-back Benoit Badiashile arriving from Monaco to become the club’s second recruit of the January transfer window, following the earlier capture of David Datro Fofana from Molde.
The 21-year-old has joined Chelsea for a £35m fee and committed to an eye-catching seven-and-a-half-year contract that, should he be successful, will see him represent the club until 2030. Badiashile, like the majority of the early Boehly-era recruits, has evidently been signed with the future as much as the present in mind.
“I’m very happy to be here at Chelsea,” Badiashile said. “I’m so excited to start playing for this club. I can’t wait to see the fans and start playing in the best league in the world.”
Unlike the club’s protracted pursuit of Benfica’s World Cup winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez, the deal to buy Badiashile was concluded swiftly and painlessly, despite numerous Premier League clubs holding an interest in him. Manchester United reportedly submitted a £22m offer in 2020, while Newcastle and West Ham were linked last summer.
Chelsea will hope that their faith in Badiashile is rewarded in both the short and long term. Badiashile may be young, particularly for a centre-back, but he has already accumulated plenty of top level experience; he was part of Monaco’s first-team squad for four-and-a-half seasons, making 135 appearances in total and has already been capped twice by France at senior level at a time when Les Bleus arguably have the deepest centre-back pool in international football.
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Chelsea have been accused of adopting a scattergun approach to transfer business since Boehly took charge, but there is logic to the Badiashile signing. The left-sided centre-back role has been a problem for Graham Potter, with neither Marc Cucurella (a natural left-back) nor Kalidou Koulibaly (a natural right-footer) convincing there so far. As a left-footed player and a natural centre-back, Badiashile ticks both boxes.
It is a specialist position and one that is difficult to fill. Chelsea have been strongly linked with RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol in recent months who fits that profile and it remains to be seen whether they go back in for him this month or in the summer, or else have signed Badiashile as a cheaper alternative.
One of the key benefits to having a left-footed defender in a back three is that they can open up passing lanes on their stronger side. Badiashile is an accomplished passer of the ball, which is a pre-requisite of any defender playing under Potter. During his time at Monaco, Badiashile had an average pass accuracy rate of 87.1 per cent (similar to Cucurella and Koulibaly) and he is fond of playing big diagonal switches from left to right; a skill that may come in handy when Reece James has returned to fitness.
According to stats website FBREF, Badiashile ranks in the 94th percentile for progressive passes out of centre backs in Europe’s “top five” leagues and the Champions League, and in the 85th percentile for passes into the final third.
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Chelsea will get worse before they get better - Graham Potter is now under serious pressure02 January, 2023Badiashile also tends to apply pressure to an opponent in possession rather than dropping off and retreating towards his own goal, which will also be encouraged by his new boss. That Badiashile has adopted that front-foot style of defending is unsurprising given the three defenders he models his game on.
Speaking to i in May, Badiashile said: “I watch so many games and try to inspire myself by watching Virgil van Dijk, Thiago Silva, Sergio Ramos for example. I think everybody has their own style, I have my own style but of course, it is always great to look at great players and defenders like them.”
He will now be able to watch one of them up close at Cobham, with Thiago Silva still an integral part of the Chelsea backline at the age of 38. Like Silva, Badiashile is a commanding presence in the air and at 6’4 is significantly taller than the Brazilian. During his time in Ligue 1, he won 70 per cent of his aerial duels and his timing and positioning is another area of strength.
One facet of Silva’s game that Badiashile will look to soak up like a sponge, though, is his aggressiveness. Although a commanding physical presence, that side of the game does not come naturally to Badiashile who has admitted in the past that he has an introverted personality.
He is eager to learn and happy to listen, however. “We have a mental coach in Monaco and I try to see him before every game because he helps us a lot to prepare,” Badiashile said. “I also take a lot of advice and experience from my brother [Loic, a goalkeeper for Spanish second-tier club Burgos] who has also played at a high level so it’s always important to have his point of view and I try to show this advice on the pitch.”
Despite having the fourth-best defensive record in the Premier League this season, Chelsea haven’t had a consistent defensive line-up since Potter took charge. Badiashile will hope to quickly make a starting spot his own.
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