The Blues are considering a move for Portugal star Nelson Semedo, who is currently at Wolverhampton Wanderers. With Chelsea light in the right-sided full-back position, especially considering that Cesar Azpilicueta’s contract expires at the end of the season, manager Graham Potter is reportedly pursuing a move for Semedo, who is seen as a backup to Reece James.
James suffered an injury in recent weeks, forcing him to undergo surgery, which puts him out of action at least until the completion of the World Cup, which he will miss. Such being the case, Potter is forced to play Azpilicueta in the wingback position or on the right side of a back three.
Chelsea also are plagued with injuries to Kalidou Koulibaly and record-signing Wesley Fofana, both of whom joined in the summer after the departures of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso.
Potter is now forced to juggle with his available players, sometimes even being compelled to forgo a back-five system, which he has preferred since his time at Brighton. Even in the Blues’ previous Premier League game against Potter’s previous side, Potter fielded a rather unusual-looking XI, with Christian Pulisic being played as an advanced right wingback and Connor Gallagher taking up the left-sided position.
Over the summer, Chelsea bolstered their defence with the signings of Koulibaly, Fofana and Marc Cucurella under previous manager Thomas Tuchel, but have been rendered helpless by a series of injuries to their defensive players. A positive, however, for Potter’s side, is the excellent performance of Thiago Silva, who has perhaps been their best player since signing for the club from PSG.
Such being the case, Chelsea are reported to be actively looking for a full-back as a cover for James, which will allow Azplilicueta to play in the back three. Semedo has emerged as a serious option, after a good season for Wolves last season under Bruno Lage.
However, this season has been far more difficult for the Wolverhampton side, who are currently in the relegation battle. To make things worse, Wolves are winless in the six games that Semedo has started. Nevertheless, the Portuguese international is viewed as a viable option and could be seen at Stamford Bridge as early as January.
