Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte is looking to shore up his defence by signing two new defenders to replace the aging Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill, according to the Daily Mail.
Chelsea’s scouts were told to look for the best homegrown defensive talent, and they have come up with two names and presented them to Conte and the Chelsea board – Ben Gibson of Middlesbrough and Michael Keane of Burnley.
Both Gibson and Keane are young, and would add juice to Chelsea’s British quota, which has dwindled in recent years. John Terry and Gary Cahill are Chelsea’s only English players to play regularly in the starting XI.
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Conte looking to phase out underperforming defenders
Antonio Conte is also said to be furious with Chelsea’s defence, which has kept only one clean sheet this season, and has conceded two or more goals in their last three games.
Gary Cahill has underperformed this season, and Branislav Ivanovic has not shown his best form for close to two years. Manager Conte was not able to sign his first choice defensive targets in the summer, with Chelsea missing out on Leonardo Bonucci, as well as Kalidou Koulibaly.
Conte, it is reported, is also impressed with how Keane and Gibson have played this season and has approved of the signings.
Kurt Zouma, another Chelsea defender, is waiting in the wings for his comeback, which is set after the international break in October.
Targets could play in 3-4-3 system
Conte also wants to experiment with the backline by playing his favoured system of three centre backs aided by hard working wing-backs, and he believes both Gibson as well as Keane would be suited to play in that system.
Chelsea’s defence has been poor this season, and reinforcements are badly needed at the back. John Terry has arguably been Chelsea’s only consistent defender, but at 35 years old, he is hardly an option for the future.
Also read: 5 things Antonio Conte could change to make Chelsea title contenders
Chelsea were exposed by Arsenal in their 3-0 loss against the Gunners on Saturday. Conte and his team will be looking to put in the hours on the training ground and improve their form ahead of their clash against Hull on 1 October.
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