Jarrad Branthwaite playing for Everton. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Former Chelsea star tells club to target 'absolutely incredible' Premier League regular

Originally posted on Chelsea News | Last updated Oct 16, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Chelsea’s situation in defence remains a little unclear.

There is certainly no shortage of talent – we have about 7 central defenders who are a 7/10.

But what we would rather have is two or three who are 8 or 9 out of 10.

It’s time to trim down the chaff, work out which are the best we’ve got, then complement them with an elite option. It’s been obvious for ages that this was the move, but once again a summer slid by where we didn’t push for an established top option at the back.

Rising Premier League defensive star a potential target for Chelsea

One person who knows just who he thinks we should sign is Pat Nevin. The former Chelsea winger also played for Everton, and it’s there at Hill Dickinson Stadium that he thinks our defender of the future is:

“I think Chelsea would be a better fit to get in Jarrad Branthwaite,” the ex-winger commented in quotes picked up by our colleague Simon Phillips on his website.

“I think that would be better suited, he’s the right age, he’s an absolute top-class player. Obviously there’s been an injury this season.

“I think anyone would take him, I’ve said that for a year now, Branthwaite’s absolutely incredible. He ticks every single box for Chelsea. If I was running Chelsea, it’s Branthwaite I’d be looking for.”

Phillips notes that Branthwaite has had some injury problems, which is true, but they haven’t yet reached a chronic level which worries us. We’d be very happy to see us go hard for him next summer if he has a good season.

In other news…

Chelsea have found out what they would need to pay to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, and it’s not going to be easy for the Blues to pull off given the financial plates they’ve got to spin.

This article first appeared on Chelsea News and was syndicated with permission.

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