Wesley Fofana will require a world-record fee, but based on this evidence, Chelsea, whose back line buckled in the face of Leeds United's high-energy start to the season, would be wise to spend their money on him.
Since his touchline ban was on hold while paperwork was being processed, manager Thomas Tuchel sat on the bench at Elland Road so he could observe his team's deficiencies up close.
Rodrigo Moreno scored off a set-piece, Brenden Aaronson forced an embarrassing error out of Edouard Mendy, and Jack Harrison capitalized on a porous defense to tap in.
Tuchel's issues were only made worse by Kalidou Koulibaly's red card for receiving a second yellow in the closing minutes.Worryingly, his team lost its composure and completed 11 less kilometers than Jesse Marsch's athletes.
Chelsea is looking to add players to their front line after yesterday's performance, but the problem starts at the back, where Thiago Silva was busy lecturing his teammates before contributing to the disastrous opener. Conor Gallagher often misplaced the ball while making his first season start, while Tuchel's strikers struggled to provide any help.
The most expensive fee ever paid for a defender would be £85 million (€100 million) to get Fofana from Leicester, but Chelsea need the French center-back now.Despite the fact that it was their first loss. Tuchel would have more attacking options with Fofana allowing him to play four at the back since his team lacked a forward edge.
Tuchel stated, "We need to concentrate on what we have and what we can do. The transfer period is still open and it gets later and later. We didn't have to lose focus in this game; it wasn't necessary. The situation was excellent. With this team in Leeds, I still think we can prevail. It is primarily our fault rather than anyone else's.
On the other hand, Leeds supporters were ecstatic as they earned back-to-back victories on their own field. In their other game, against Southampton, they let a two-goal lead slip when they stopped attacking, but Marsch had pledged not to let that happen again and he kept his word. His four summer recruits have all embraced his idea of continual mobility and appear to be primed for the Premier League.
This strategy resulted in Aaronson's first goal, as the American pursued Mendy rather than letting him clear Thiago's back pass easily.
Aaronson pounced to seize control of the ball after it became lodged beneath the Chelsea goalkeeper's foot and he did so before the ball had into the goal.
With the second goal coming from a free kick, Tuchel will be displeased.
Raheem Sterling fouled Marc Roca, and Harrison whipped over the corner kick. Rodrigo dribbled past Reece James and glanced his header into the far corner.
Harrison added the third goal by tapping it in after starting the move himself. Dan James' cross had thrown Chelsea's penalty area into disarray, and no defender had seen Harrison's late run.
When Chelsea was chasing the game, Koulibaly and Thiago Silva were the centre-backs in a four-man defensive rotation, but the summer signing for Chelsea received his second caution for dragging back Joe Gelhardt.
After the final buzzer, Marsch punched his chest and spun his sweatshirt around to celebrate before starting his lap of honor.
He claims that there are still skeptics, and perhaps unfairly, because when he took over as Marcelo Bielsa's successor at the end of February, as an American coach in the Premier League, he was put on the defensive right away.
But he has already figured out the principles necessary for his team to earn enough victories to at least maintain their place in the top division. There was hope that Leeds could maintain their position at the top of the table as I Predict A Riot played over the loudspeakers at Elland Road.
The Wisconsin-native coach stands out from his Premier League peers by favoring stonewashed jeans over a tracksuit. Additionally, he has introduced new hand signals to the technical field.
That was supposed to be a diamond versus the ball. Because the crowd is so noisy, I'm attempting to develop more hand signals here, Marsch added.
With their running and intensity, his squad delivered a full performance, avoiding the yellow cards that plagued their previous season when they were fighting to avoid relegation.
"They were learning the behaviors last year. We put ourselves in peril last year by making so many fouls and being too aggressive. Generally speaking, we are never outworked or outrun.
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