Chelsea have a rich history of selling their academy graduates and generating an exceptional fee for them.
You only have to look at the last 12 months, selling all of Mason Mount (£55m), Lewis Hall (£28m), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£15m), Ian Maatsen (£35m), Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5m) and Billy Gilmour (£7.5m), to raise funds.
Next in line are Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, who both played integral roles at the back end of last season in securing European football for the Blues, with a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
Gallagher has agreed to a £33m move to Atlético Madrid, whilst Chelsea are looking to sell Chalobah, waiting for offers in the region of £25m for the English defender. These two sales would take Chelsea's academy sales total over the last 12 months to a whopping £203.5m.
The latest on Chaloba's future
Chalobah was left out of Chelsea's pre-season squad as the Blues are looking to sell the 25-year-old. Enzo Maresca referred to other right-footed centre-back options in the squad when asked about Chalobah's disclusion.
Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, and Tosin Adarabioyo were three senior players named, whilst Maresca also mentioned an academy player, Josh Achaempong, who can play as a right back, and right central defender in a back three.
Chalobah made 17 appearances for Chelsea last season, scoring one goal, contributing to three clean sheets, and totalling 1,227 minutes played.
Who could replace Chalobah?
According to reports on the continent, via FourFourTwo, Chelsea have plans to launch a last-minute hijack for Crystal Palace defender, Marc Guehi, who looked set to join Newcastle United this summer.
The report states that it is understood Chelsea have a matching clause in Guehi's current deal, allowing them to match any offer from Newcastle for the 24-year-old defender, who is rumoured to be valued at £60m.
Guehi made 29 appearances in all competitions for Palace last season, providing one assist, and contributing to eight clean sheets in his 2,254 minutes played.
Why Guehi would be a great Chalobah replacement
Both defenders are right-footed, both defenders came through the Chelsea academy system, and both players are only one year apart in age. According to FBref, they are also on exactly the same wages, at £50k per week.
Guehi earned himself an England call-up after his impressive season for Palace and he was exceptional. Former England player Matt Upson even praised him as "outstanding" for England, playing alongside John Stones at Euro 2024. He was seen by many as a standout performer.
Progressive Carries
0.67
0.47
Progressive Passes
2.98
2.92
Passes Attempted
58.2
73.9
Pass Completion %
86.9%
89.4%
Passes into Final Third
4.00
2.83
Tackles
1.24
1.51
Blocks
0.98
0.75
Interceptions
0.72
0.80
Aerials Won
1.29
1.79
From these metrics, you can tell Guehi is slightly more progressive in his play, whether that is carrying the ball forwards on the outside of a block, averaging 0.67 progressive carries per 90, or whether that's with his progressive passing, averaging 2.98 per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Guehi isn't afraid to break the lines with his passing, making four passes on average per 90 into the final third, something Maresca values in his backline, showing an ability to play through the opposition press.
In Maresca's system, he often forms a 3-2-5 in possession, with one of his full-backs inverting into midfield, to create that double pivot, and having two number eights between the lines as those receivers. This is the type of pass a Maresca defender would be expected to make, breaking the lines and playing through into those number eights.
Whilst Chalobah averages more passes attempted per 90, and higher pass completion, he is playing in a much more ball-dominant side, as opposed to Guehi, who played in a Palace side that averaged 41.6% possession, only four teams averaged less last season.
On the contrary, Chalobah was playing in a Chelsea side which averaged 59% possession, the fifth most in the Premier League last season. This, of course, allowed him to get on the ball more, and in turn, his passing volume metrics are better.
Despite having more passes attempted and a higher pass completion, the Palace superstar still managed to provide more progressive passes, key passes and passes into the final third per 90, so you can assume with extra passes attempted, these numbers will increase even more.
One key weakness of Guehi would be his height for a central defender. Measuring at 5 foot 11. He is on the small side for his position, having an effect on his aerials won per 90 metric, as he only averages 1.29 per 90, which is in the bottom 13% of centre backs in the top five European leagues.
Chalobah, on the other hand, is 6 foot 3, has a better frame for a central defender compared to Guehi, and ranks better in most defensive metrics due to this, averaging 1.80 aerials won per 90, 1.51 tackles per 90, 0.76 interceptions per 90, and 4.82 clearances per 90.
His recovery pace and physicality make him a brilliant defender in this league, which often requires the defenders to step out and be aggressive, but also recover into their positions, especially when defending in transition.
Despite Guehi's ability on the ball, his arrival could cause even more problems for the Blues, who already lack height in the central midfield areas, and at fullback (especially in an ever-changing era where fullbacks are becoming centre-back hybrids).
The Blues conceded 11 goals from set pieces last campaign, four more than title challengers Arsenal, and eight more than eventual Premier League winners, Manchester City. If Chelsea wants to challenge at the top of the table, scoring and stopping set pieces will be crucial.
Arsenal and Manchester City have shown this in recent years, City topping the chart for least goals conceded from set pieces with three (Arsenal second with seven), and Arsenal topping the chart for set pieces scored with 20 (City third with 16, only behind Everton in second with 19).
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