Chelsea are looking at a rock-solid £30m defender - but he won't solve Reece James dilemma

The traditional list of things which are simply inevitable in life needs a new addition – these days, it should be updated to death, taxes, and Reece James getting injured. The Chelsea and England right-back is now set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines thanks to a hamstring injury, and at this point the Blues have to give serious consideration to finding another player who can fill his boots. According to a new report from TeamTalk, they may have that man in mind already, in the form of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Nico Elvedi.

The 27-year-old Swiss international can play as a centre-back or a right-sided full-back, and while it would be fair to say that his ceiling isn’t as high as James’ – very few defenders can match a fully fit James, as rare a sight as that may be – he’s an extremely capable player in his own right, and could be a sensible solution at a reported £30m.

Elvedi came through the youth ranks at FC Zürich before signing for Mönchengladbach in 2015, and has been a constant presence in the Bundesliga side’s team ever since, racking up 270 appearances for Die Fohlen at the time of writing and collecting 47 caps for Switzerland on the way. He’s experienced and slap bang in the middle of his prime years – but can he solve Chelsea’s defensive conundrum?

That puzzle is only made more challenging by injuries elsewhere, especially the season-ending injury suffered by Wesley Fofana, which leaves Chelsea looking a little thin at the back. Given that recent reports elsewhere suggest that Mauricio Pochettino is already serious considering offloading summer signing Axel Disasi, with Bayern Munich supposedly interested in signing the former Monaco man in January, the question is whether Elvedi, who has a fairly similar profile to Disasi, can offer much more to the club.

Like Disasi, Elvedi isn’t the kind of player who doesn't look to get involved in too many tackles and last-gasp defensive actions, but instead relies on his impressive positional sense and ability to read the game to snuff trouble out before it comes to that. His capacity to track opponents’ movement is undoubtedly sound, and he makes more interceptions and more than twice as many clearances as Disasi does.

That’s also a testament, in part, to the fact that he doesn’t have the same quality and confidence on the ball as the Frenchman. Elvedi is a good passer, albeit one who tends to keep it fairly simple, but he isn’t a natural dribbler and where Disasi looks to carry the ball out from the back and spring attacks, Elvedi prefers to simply get it clear. He’s arguably more effective at cutting opposing attacks out but isn’t as good at retaining possession for his side once the initial danger is dealt with.

His relative lack of dribbling ability, combined with below-par crossing and decent but not express pace, means that he’s a much more defensive right-back than someone like James when he plays in that role, and doesn’t offer as much of a threat in the final third or as much accuracy with deep balls into the box. That’s a definite downside, but the upside compared to many more attack-minded defenders is that he’s more rugged at the back and gives fewer chances away while offering little space in behind. If Pochettino feels a bit of extra rigidity at the back is a more pressing concern than offensive fluidity, Elvedi certainly makes sense as a potential signing.

But would it really be reasonable to sign him as a replacement for James? Would it make much sense to dispense with Disasi in favour of the Swiss international? If they sold Disasi for much the same as they bought him then they would be better off financially – an important consideration given the extent to which Chelsea are butting up against the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules – and then you could make a case based solely on accountancy, but is Elvedi really an upgrade to anyone Chelsea have on the books now?

Frankly, the answer is likely not. Elvedi is a perfectly reasonable short-term solution to an injury problem, and a solid depth piece thereafter, but it’s debatable as to whether his addition would add enough to Chelsea’s overall quality. He would add a respectable amount to their defensive capacity, but at a cost to their possession game and attacking output. It’s also worth noting that his recent form has been rather uninspiring, with a distinctly iffy outing in his most recent game, a 3-1 defeat away to Union Berlin.

There are a lot of teams in the Premier League who would be delighted by a player of Elvedi’s quality – but while Chelsea are very much a mid-table team right now, their ambitions are much greater than that, and it’s hard to see how Elvedi pushes them very far towards their goals. A few years ago a younger Elvedi was linked with the likes of Manchester City and Inter Milan, but he remained at Mönchengladbach for a reason. If his signing amounted to a bit of financial jiggery-pokery to replace Disasi and push their bank balance back towards the black, then that makes sense. But if they’re considering him as a straight replacement for James, then it seems pretty dubious even as a short-term measure.

Chelsea probably do need a right-back who is more experienced than Malo Gusto, but Elvedi doesn’t have the technical or attacking ability to replicate enough of what James offers down the right flank. Perhaps the rumour itself is simply off base, but if Chelsea really are in the market for him then we have to say that it seems like a slightly strange move. It wouldn’t exactly be the first time that has happened since Todd Boehly took the reins, of course.