Gary Neville says he was ‘surprised’ Chelsea didn’t look to a London rival to bolster Xabi Alonso’s defensive options during the summer transfer window.
The Blues were once again one of the biggest spenders in the transfer market, splashing out well over £300m on more than ten new signings.
Alonso welcomed three new defenders to Stamford Bridge, with Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Pep Chavarria all sealing moves to west London.
But Neville expected Chelsea to sign another centre-back following the departures of Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Mamadou Sarr.
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Chelsea did reportedly make an approach to sign to sign ex-Tottenham captain Cristian Romero after he made it clear he wanted to leave Spurs.
Romero, a World Cup winner with Argentina, spent four years in north London but decided to move on after back-to-back relegation battles and clashes with the Tottenham fanbase.
Atletico Madrid eventually signed Romero in a deal worth £34m after Chelsea and Premier League champions Arsenal cooled their interest.
‘It might sound crazy but I actually wouldn’t mind Cristian Romero in my team,’ Neville said on The Overlap. ‘I wouldn’t mind that.
‘I’m surprised Chelsea didn’t sign him. Now Tottenham might not have wanted to sell him to Chelsea but I was surprised Chelsea didn’t sign him.
‘I thought he would have been perfect for Chelsea as that aggressive centre-half in a back-three. I am surprised they didn’t sign him.’
Arsenal legend Ian Wright added: ‘Chelsea would have been a good club for him.’
Neville, meanwhile, praised Manchester City’s late summer deal for Enzo Fernandez despite the Chelsea midfield costing an eye-watering £125m.
Man City completed a huge deal for Fernandez on deadline day after months of negotiations with Premier League rivals Chelsea.
‘I think Enzo Fernandez is better than the other midfield players that have moved this summer,’ Neville added.
‘Is he better than Elliot Anderson? I think probably he is. He’s more proven, I think. He’s better than [Matheus] Fernandes and [Sandro] Tonali and [Bruno] Guimaraes, I think.
‘So from a point of view of quality, Manchester City have signed a top midfield player, haven’t they?
‘Look at Manchester United as well – [Youri] Tielemans, [Carlos] Baleba, [Andrey] Santos – Enzo is the best one out of the lot that have travelled.’
Despite another summer of upheaval and a change in the dugout, Chelsea have enjoyed a strong start to the new season, taking maximum points from their first two games.
Alonso’s side, who visit reigning champions Arsenal on Sunday, beat west London rivals Fulham 3-2 before an equally thrilling 4-3 win over Brighton.
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