Chelsea may regret turning down Illia Zabarnyi after Maxence Lacroix injury

A report suggests Chelsea may regret not signing Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi during the summer transfer window, after Maxence Lacroix’s injury heightened concerns about the depth of the club’s centre-back options.

According to summer reports, including one by Alex Crook of talkSPORT, Chelsea were offered the chance to sign Zabarnyi but did not pursue the deal. The player had joined Paris Saint-Germain from Bournemouth for £57 million 12 months ago, and was reportedly open to leaving after spending a large part of the team’s Champions League campaign on the bench. Chelsea signed Lacroix instead, days later.

Lacroix is expected to be out for around two months with a hamstring injury, leaving Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill as the first-choice centre-back options, according to the report. The writer argues that the lack of alternatives leaves the team vulnerable to problems if another defender is injured.

The article cites Zabarnyi’s performance against Le Havre on Friday: he completed 90 of 95 passes, recorded six clearances, two interceptions and six recoveries, won three duels, and was not dribbled past. The report acknowledges that one match is not enough to judge a player, but argues that his previous Premier League experience with Bournemouth could have added depth and experience to Chelsea’s defence.

The article concludes that, despite previous criticism of Chelsea for having too many players, the club may face shortages in some positions and will have to deal with the consequences of its transfer decisions in the upcoming winter transfer window; this is the report’s analysis, not an announced decision by the club.