Chelsea’s view of Benoit Badiashile’s progress is truly puzzling

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Benoit Badiashile has not been linked to any clubs recently, yet he is a bit of a talking point among the Chelsea fan base right now.

Chelsea have just sold Andrey Santos to Manchester United, and Alejandro Garnacho is now set to follow him out of the exit door.

Garnacho is attracting interest from AS Roma and is expected to leave Stamford Bridge after just one season.

However, while not being Garnacho’s biggest fans, some Chelsea supporters have questioned why the winger is being sold before some of the club’s other players. That includes Badiashile.

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smifferz812 days ago

I still have no idea why we’re persisting with Benoit. Disasi is off to Wet Spam it seems. Sarr could do with a loan to someone like Ipswich. Guiu too. I say Gittens should get a full season, after all Garnacho got one, didn’t he?

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Chelsea will argue that they are happy with the central defender’s progress. Last month, journalist Ben Jacobs suggested that there is a belief at Chelsea that Badiashile’s development is on track.

How the club could come to that conclusion is absolutely baffling, though. After all, Badiashile made just six starts in the Premier League last season and has had a lot of injuries since joining the Blues from AS Monaco in 2023.

• READ MORE: Who Xabi Alonso must get rid of next after Alejandro Garnacho call

Is Badiashile a terrible defender? Absolutely not. Most managers would probably love to have a centre-back with his profile.

The Frenchman is strong, powerful in the air, decent in possession and left-footed. At 25, he is also a good age. Simply put, Badiashile has the qualities of a modern-day central defender who can slot into the left side of defence very easily.

However, rarely has Badiashile put all of that together and for a full 90 minutes since arriving in west London. To claim that his development is on track is delusional.

Largely because of injuries, his development has stalled if anything. With that in mind, now could be a good time for a fresh start.

With Chelsea chasing Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace, it is unlikely that the former Monaco man will get much game time next season if he can remain fit.

If Xabi Alonso goes with a back four, you would expect Lacroix and Colwill to be the two starting centre-backs if Chelsea can get a deal for the former done.