Chelsea have swiftly rejected an approach from Napoli to take Benoît Badiashile on loan, according to reports reaching GoalZaza. The Partenopei, unde...
Chelsea have swiftly rejected an approach from Napoli to take Benoît Badiashile on loan, according to reports reaching GoalZaza. The Partenopei, under Antonio Conte and currently sniffing around the fringes of Serie A's summit, had sounded out Stamford Bridge over the possibility of securing the French centre half on a temporary deal. But the Blues have made their position clear: Badiashile is very much part of the plan, at least for the remainder of this campaign.It is a curious situation, isn't it The former Monaco man arrived in West London with a big reputation, a left sided centre back who can pass the ball out from the back and offers genuine physical presence. Yet his game time under Mauricio Pochettino and now Enzo Maresca has been inconsistent, punctuated by injury and the sheer weight of bodies in that Chelsea defensive department. Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, and Axel Disasi have all jostled for minutes, leaving Badiashile looking like a man stuck in the middle of a very expensive puzzle.But here is the thing about Chelsea's model. They hoard talent like a miser hoards gold. Letting Badiashile leave, even on loan, would thin the squad's defensive options to a point where a couple of knocks could leave them scrambling. And with the January window often a sellers' market, why would you weaken your hand unless the offer was simply too good to turn down Napoli's approach was exploratory, a feeler, nothing more. And Chelsea's response was a firm, unequivocal no.For Conte, who loves a big, dominant centre half who can defend the box and play on the front foot, Badiashile would have been a tailor made fit. The Italian's system at Napoli demands defenders who are comfortable in a back three and who can step into midfield. Badiashile ticks those boxes. But Chelsea have looked at their own fixture list, their own ambitions, and decided the risk of letting him go outweighs the reward. There will be other targets for Napoli, other conversations to be had. But for now, Badiashile remains a Blue.
