Chelsea need to sign central defender - Enzo Maresca

Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea to sign a new central defender to replace the injured Levi Colwill this summer.

Colwill is expected to miss most of the season after he had surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

The 22-year-old was instrumental for Chelsea last season in the Premier League, starting 35 of their 38 matches as they qualified for the Champions League.

When asked what he thought was the solution to replacing Colwill in his squad, Maresca said: “The club know exactly what I think.

“I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution but as I said, the club know exactly what I think.”

Colwill played a key role as a substitute in the Conference League final and during the Club World Cup as the Blues won their first two major trophies.

“When we build, we build with Levi in the middle,” said Maresca.

“Last year we played 64 games and we played all 64 games with either Levi or Tosin [Adarabioyo in the middle].

“Now Levi is out. The only other one that he can do that job well is Tosin. But we have Premier League, Champions League, with these kind of players.

“The rest, they can adapt. [Jorrel] Hato is a new one, he never played as the guy in the middle last season [with Ajax], so it’s not about being a central defender.

“Yes, [he is a] central defender but can he do that? It’s different. Also we have players that unfortunately, like Wes [Fofana] or Benoit [Badiashile], they have in this moment some [injury] problems.

“And this is the reason why I said that the club knows exactly what I think about central defenders.”