Jody Morris was left unimpressed by Maxence Lacroix’s performances at the World Cup and believes the defender will have to significantly improve if he is to succeed at Chelsea.
Lacroix informed Crystal Palace bosses of his desire to depart Selhurst Park at the end of last season and Chelsea were quick to make their interest known before wrapping up a deal to sign the 26-year-old.
The central defender helped the Eagles win the FA Cup, the Europa Conference League and the Community Shield across a trophy-laden two-year spell with the club and will arrive at Stamford Bridge with weighty expectations on his shoulders.
It’s understood Chelsea have agreed to pay a fee in the region of £52million for Lacroix and the France international is expected to put pen to paper on a six-year contract in west London.
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He is set to follow in the footsteps of Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and British-record signing Morgan Rogers, who have all joined Xabi Alonso’s first-team squad ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Lacroix won plenty of admirers with his assured displays at the heart of Oliver Glasner’s defence over the last two years – Morris being one of those to applaud the Frenchman’s impact since arriving in English football.
However, the former Chelsea midfielder felt Lacroix’s showings at the World Cup – including an especially ‘poor’ performance in France’s bronze final defeat to England – left a lot to be desired.
‘I thought Lacroix did great for Crystal Palace last year in a back three, but playing for Palace and Chelsea are two different things,’ Morris – who served as Frank Lampard’s assistant at Chelsea from 2018 to 2021 – told BOYLE Sports.
‘I didn’t think he played well for France. I was telling my friends that I would be interested to see how he does in a back four, because I’ve only ever seen him in a three.
‘He had a very poor game against Spain and I didn’t think he was great against England either, where they conceded six goals.’
While Morris stopped short of writing Lacroix off as a signing, he stressed that the centre-back would have to raise his level in order to mix it with the best.
‘He could suit the team, but I’m intrigued to see how Alonso sets us up,’ Morris added.
‘I hope he doesn’t perform like that all the time if we are going for him.’
Turning his attentions to potential outgoings at Chelsea, Morris encouraged the Blues to cash in on Enzo Fernandez if the midfielder continues to agitate for a move this summer.
Fernandez has repeatedly cast doubt over his Chelsea future while flirting with Real Madrid in recent months, comments which resulted in the Argentine being banned for two matches in April.
However, Chelsea are reportedly reluctant to do business for Fernandez as it stands, unless they receive an eye-watering offer of £120m.
‘If people aren’t wanting to pay the money for a player, then he stays,’ Morris said.
‘Enzo Fernandez is one of the few who would get pass marks last year for Chelsea, there weren’t many at all.
‘But I have always been the same, if someone doesn’t want to be at a football club, then let them go. Letting them go doesn’t mean letting them go for cheap.
‘If people don’t want to be at Chelsea, I would rather they go, regardless of how they performed or how much you like the player.
‘I imagine most managers or coaches would feel the same. Owners will be different because they need to get value for money.’
According to Morris, Fernandez’s World Cup showing could provide Chelsea with the chance to ‘claw back’ a large part of the £107m they spent on the midfielder in 2023.
‘The value might be there after the World Cup he had,’ he went on.
‘It might be the best opportunity to try and claw back as much of the fee we shelled out as possible
‘If he doesn’t want to go, then you have a player who has produced for Chelsea before. I am sure Xabi Alonso wouldn’t mind having him in the squad if he wants to be there.
‘But if he doesn’t, the quicker he leaves, the better.’
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