Premier League: Why does Chelsea want another centre-back?

Manchester City signed Mark Guehi for £20m this week – a fee that looks good value for the active England international.

However, City beat off interest from rivals by moving early, completing the deal six months before his contract expires while offering what sources describe as “free agent terms”. This means the total package costs significantly more than the main fee, with significant agent costs, sign-on bonuses and an advertised wage of £300,000 per week.

If Chelsea had matched those wages, Guehi would have become the club’s highest-paid player, surpassing captain Reece James on £250,000-a-week.

The terms effectively ruled out not just Chelsea but also Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, all of whom were interested in signing Guehi on a free transfer in the summer.

That salary could also have presented challenges within Chelsea’s dressing room, with Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandes and Levi Colwell understood to be seeking contract improvements. However, Chelsea want to postpone any renewal talks until the summer.

Some at Chelsea also felt stylistically that Guehi was too similar to Colwell.

There is still debate over whether the club’s efforts to reduce the wage bill since Roman Abramovich’s ownership are limiting their chances of competing at the top. James is believed to be the only current first-team player to earn more than £200,000 a week, and although figures for the 2024-25 season put the annual wage bill at £338m – the fourth highest in the Premier League – they are down from £404m the previous year.

Chelsea must also be mindful of UEFA’s financial controls. The club needs to increase its revenue in order to raise wages, with 72.2% of income currently spent on salaries – the highest proportion among the traditional Big Six clubs.

Insiders say the old Stamford Bridge stadium remains a major factor holding the club back because it cannot generate the kind of revenue that rival clubs can with new stadiums. Chelsea still do not have a front shirt sponsor, and have come to rely heavily on balancing the books through player trading.

Champions League qualification is the single biggest route to revenue improvement, and player contracts are now strongly incentivized around qualification, making a top four or top five finish the club’s primary target over the past two seasons.