A headache for Antonio Conte continues as Chelsea are desperate to sign a defender before the transfer window shuts. The Blues’ attempt to sign a defender has seen them turn to Fiorentina defender Marcos Alonso.
Marcos Alonso was previously a Real Madrid academy graduate before moving to England at the age of 19 to join Bolton Wanderers. The Spaniard made 46 appearances in the course of three seasons.
Alonso put in impressive performances when he was at Bolton and was named Bolton Player of the Year before moving to Italy to join the Viola. In his final season at Bolton Wanderers, Alonso picked up the Bolton Player of the Year award before moving to Italy to join the Viola.
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He returned later to the Premier League to Sunderland on loan on January 2014, helping the club escape from the jaws of relegation. Ever since, Alonso has cemented his place in the Fiorentina starting line-up and has emerged as one of the most promising young defenders today.
Tall, quick and full of stamina, Alonso's plays at left-back but is also suitable to play the wing-back role.
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Conte has already watched Alonso play in the Serie A, while he was still managing Juventus and the fact that Alonso already has some exposure in the Premier League is a good reason to bring the Spaniard to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have already seen bids rejected for Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and AC Milan's Alessio Romagnoli and are also trailing Torino defender Nikola Maksimovic as a potential target.
With Frenchman Kurt Zouma still out injured, Conte is left with only four senior defenders – Caesar Azpilicueta, Branislav Ivanovic, captain John Terry and Gary Cahill. Youngster Ola Aina is also sidelined after getting injured in the League Cup victory over Bristol Rovers.
The signing of Marcos Alonso could allow Branislav Ivanovic to shift to central defence and Azpilicueta to the right back position.
After conceding two goals against an average Bristol Rovers side, Conte will urgently need to find some defensive solutions if Chelsea want to secure Champions League places.
Italian manager Antonio Conte has already admitted that he wants to make two defensive signings before the transfer window shuts, and if they fail to do so, the Blues might soon land in a whole lot of trouble.
