Enzo Maresca clarifies Chelsea stance over signing new centre-back

Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea are now looking to solve their defensive issues internally despite previously revealing his desire for the club to sign another centre-back.

After Levi Colwill’s serious knee injury, Maresca had voiced concerns over the suitability of his other defenders to play the role of middle centre-back.

And while admitting he was assessing options internally, the Italian hinted at a request to dip into the transfer market once again.

"The club know exactly what I think,” Maresca had noted last week before the goalless draw in the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace, with Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah eventually starting together in the back four.

"I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution but as I said, the club know exactly what I think.”

But ahead of the trip to West Ham on Friday, Maresca has suppressed talk of signing a new defender, instead emphasising his desire to look at his current options inside the squad.

“I already said that we are looking for internal solutions,” Maresca said before rejecting the suggestion that the club is searching for a replacement in the market. "We are trying to find internal solutions. I repeat again. Maybe I need to improve my English.”

Colwill has proven integral to Maresca’s set-up at Chelsea, with the Italian outlining what the Blues miss without the England international.

"When we build, we build with Levi in the middle," said Maresca. "Last year we played 64 games and we played all 64 games with either Levi or Tosin [Adarabioyo in the middle].

"Now Levi is out. The only other one that he can do that job well is Tosin. But we have Premier League, Champions League, with these kind of players.

"The rest, they can adapt. [Jorrel] Hato is a new one, he never played as the guy in the middle last season [with Ajax], so it's not about being a central defender.

"Yes, [he is a] central defender but can he do that? It's different. Also we have players that unfortunately, like Wes [Fofana] or Benoit [Badiashile], they have in this moment some [injury] problems.

"The one in the middle in my way is so, so, so important. And this is the reason why I said that the club knows exactly what I think about central defenders."