Chelsea thrown Maxence Lacroix transfer curveball as Xabi Alonso told to sign new ‘best option’
Chelsea have made a conscious effort to bolster Xabi Alonso’s backline this summer, but there’s still plenty of work to be done before the transfer window slams shut.
Maxence Lacroix looks set to join Chelsea(Image: Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
William Gallas has urged Chelsea to sign John Stones. The 32-year-old defender has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer as Xabi Alonso looks to bolster his backline, but the Blues have been focused on securing the signature of Maxence Lacroix instead.
The Crystal Palace defender looks set to become the third signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of Marco Palestra and Morgan Rogers from Atalanta and Aston Villa, respectively. Although Chelsea have been working hard to wrap up a deal for Lacroix, football.london understands that they are interested in Stones, too.
The Blues have balanced their recruitment strategy this summer, blending a youth-centric approach with the acquisition of ready-made talent. It’s understood that former Manchester City defender was recently offered to Chelsea, having become a free agent not too long ago.
As it stands, it remains unclear whether the Blues will approach Stones, but he’s certainly on Alonso’s radar. When quizzed on Chelsea’s interest in the England international, Gallas described him as the ‘best option’ on the market.
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“Some people are surprised. I don’t understand how they can be surprised,” the former Blues defender told iPredicta. “Chelsea have got to speak with John Stones. Of course, they have to go to get him.
“They won’t have to pay a lot of money because he’s a free agent. He’s got everything. He has got experience. He has already won the Premier League. He won the Champions League.
“So it’s the best option right now; otherwise, you have to put a lot of money on one defender, and you are not really sure he will adapt to the Premier League. I think it would be great for both parties.”
On what Stones would bring to the Chelsea backline, Gallas said: “The players who are going to play around him are going to grow up, are going to progress.
“I always spoke about this and I always repeat myself: for central defenders, you always need one experienced player because at the same time that player is teaching the boys who are next to him, for the young boys to grow up, to improve, to be a better defender, to take all the pressure off their shoulders.
“It’s better that the pressure is on the shoulders of that experienced player than the youth. Look at Chelsea’s defenders, like Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana.
“They haven’t looked like the answer for the long-term. Okay, Colwill was injured, and he was improving when he was with Thiago Silva, you know?
“And then Silva left, and then another boy was the main guy, but they made some mistakes because they were not ready yet. They started to play very young, and they put pressure on them too soon.”
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