Why Presnel Kimpembe could be the perfect centre-back addition at Chelsea
A host of centre-backs have been linked with a move to Chelsea this summer. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen's departures have already been confirmed, the former swapping London for Madrid, and the main port of call for the Blues in the market is to bolster the backline.
Now that Todd Boehly's takeover has been confirmed, attention turns to bringing in new faces at Stamford Bridge and the immediate priority is at centre-back. Jules Kounde is expected to make the move to west London this summer, the France international a long-term target for Thomas Tuchel's side, but the question turns as to who occupies that left centre-back role in Tuchel's favoured three-man backline.
Josko Gvardiol is the number one target, however the Croat is contracted to RB Leipzig until 2026 and is supposedly happy with the Bundesliga side. Matthijs de Ligt, Pau Torres and Jose Gimenez have also been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but a familiar face to Tuchel has also cropped up on Chelsea's radar in recent days.
Tuchel knows Presnel Kimpembe well from their respective time together at PSG. The German didn't give the centre-back his chance in Paris, but the France international was a key man under Tuchel alongside Thiago Silva in the head coach's two full seasons in the French capital. Could a reunion now be on the cards in England?
Given the managerial uncertainty at the Parc des Princes, with Mauricio Pochettino on the cusp of leaving the French side, PSG are unlikely to be in an immediate position to sell this summer, at least until the new man in charge has has a chance to assess his squad. That said, with a rebuild in the capital on the cards, Kimpembe could be available for the right price in the off season.
The 25-year-old has two years left to run on his current deal in Paris, so he wouldn't come cheap, however his departure would allow PSG to pursue other targets, with Inter's Milan Skriniar a rumoured target for the Ligue 1 champions. But would Kimpembe be the right man for Chelsea to push to sign this summer?
Crucial for Chelsea is that they land a centre-back who is adept at playing the ball out from the back. The top three players for passes per Premier League game for the Blues last season was Silva (81.9), Rudiger (73.4) and Christensen (69.5) to highlight how important the centre-backs are when it comes to dominating league matches. The former, meanwhile, finished top for pass success rate (92.8%) of all Blues players, that in itself the third best in England's top tier last term.
If Chelsea are in the market for this specific centre-back, then Kimpembe is certainly the answer. 74.2 passes per game was the 21st best in Europe's top five leagues in 2021/22, while a 95.5% pass success rate was better than any other player. Across 2580 minutes of league action last season, Kimpembe misplaced just 100 passes, an impressive return even if playing for a dominant PSG side.
Then there is his solid reading off the game to cut out an opposition threat. For a team that dominates as PSG do, when they do lose possession, they need to quickly win the ball back before they're caught on the counter by opponents. Compared to other PSG players last season, only Danilo Pereira (1.6) and Thilo Kehrer (1.4) averaged more interceptions per 90 than Kimpembe (1.3) with the French defender able to step out defence with ease to counter an opposition threat.
This is another effective trait in that Kimpembe can utilise this anticipation to snuff out danger and then pick out a teammate to turn defence into attack. There do remain some doubts over his concentration, with Kimpembe sometimes not aware of his surroundings, but he does have the recovery speed to ensure these are rarely punished. Indeed, he has committed just three errors leading to an opposition goal in 152 career league appearances, though it's an area to his game that does need to be worked on as this mental shortcoming would be more ruthlessly capitalised upon by Premier League opponents than in Ligue 1.
Key, though, would be Kimpembe playing alongside possible teammates who'd already be aware of the defender's strengths and weaknesses. Kimpembe has previously spoken highly of Silva, stating back in 2020 when he signed his new PSG deal: "I try to use him as a role model, especially with his extremely professional attitude, his style of playing and his positioning." The experienced Brazilian would be able to ease his former PSG teammate into the rigours of Premier League football, with Silva himself proving a number of doubters wrong by making an immediate impact in English football.
Should Chelsea also, as expected, sign Kounde, then he'd be another centre-back well versed in Kimpembe's defensive style from their time together with the France national team. With Tuchel at the helm, he'd be working under a manager who knows how to maximise his defensive talent and crucially iron out these lapses in concentration. Kimpembe may not have been a first choice option coming into the market, but there is an argument to be made that he could be the best given the familiarity with Tuchel's demands coupled with new teammates that are well aware of his defensive approach.
