Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has advised Frank Lampard against signing Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell as he believes the defender will still have a problem similar to Emerson Palmieri.
An earlier report from the Times claimed that Chelsea have had a breakthrough in negotiations with Leicester over a potential transfer fee for the 23-year-old.
However, the report also added that the Foxes would want an £80million fee, similar to what they received from Manchester United for Harry Maguire last summer.
Cascarino said he is not convinced with Chilwell’s defensive qualities, particularly if Chelsea potentially have to pay a record-breaking fee for the left-back.
He told talkSPORT‘s Weekend Sports Breakfast: “Chilwell is a very good player, a very good footballer but I don’t think he’s the greatest defender, as a left-back, which sort of ticks a few boxes that Chelsea are already suffering with, with [Marcos] Alonso at left-back.
The former Ireland international argued that Chilwell is a much better attacking fullback than he is a defender, similar to Emerson.
“It’s a lot of money. I watched him against Watford [a 1-1 draw in June] and Ismaila Sarr absolutely ran him ragged.
“I was quite surprised how easily he got the better of Chilwell on the day.
“He’s a good footballer, and he’s very good creatively going forward. I just think it’s a huge price for someone.
“I think Chelsea need, in both positions, really good full-backs who can do the defensive work duties really well.”
Chelsea’s reported interest in Chilwell has also received mixed responses from some of their fans.
It’s safe to say that most of the fans are aware of the need for a new left-back, but some of them just don’t think Chilwell is the answer to the problem.
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