Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been a busy man over the previous few weeks. Not only has he led the Blues to the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, but the Italian has significantly bolstered his first-team squad.
In came striker Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, before defender Mamadou Sarr joined the club from Strasbourg.
This was only the beginning. Since the start of last week, Maresca has secured a deal to sign forward Joao Pedro for £60m, giving Delap some competition.
Furthermore, Jamie Gittens has made the move to Stamford Bridge from Borussia Dortmund, costing Chelsea £51.5m in the process.
The revolving door at Stamford Bridge means plenty of players will be departing over the coming weeks, but it is evident that Maresca wants to overhaul his attacking options ahead of next season.
How to Watch the FIFA Club World Cup for Free
Everything you need to know about the Club World Cup.
Given the need for high-quality defenders, Scalvini might just turn out to be a better recruit than Nwaneri.
What Giorgio Scalvini could bring to Chelsea
The Atalanta starlet missed the majority of last season due to suffering a cruciate ligament injury, derailing the fine progress he had made during the 2023/24 campaign.
Hailed as a “top talent” by none other than Fabrizio Romano back in 2022, Scalvini enjoyed what was a breakthrough season in Serie A that term.
Defensively, he ranked in the top 4% for interceptions, in the top 16% for aerials won and in the top 22% for tackles per 90 when compared to his peers.
It was going forward that the young centre-back really stood out among his positional peers, however.
Indeed, not only did he rank in the top 16% for shot-creating actions, but the Atalanta defender also ranked in the top 5% for successful take-ons and in the top 11% for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 in Serie A.
This proves that Maresca wouldn’t just be getting a solid centre-back who is able to command his backline, but one who can shine while going forward, playing in a way that is “so similar to [Declan] Rice” at Arsenal in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson.
The Italian could certainly add something different to his Chelsea defence by making a move for the 21-year-old this summer, no doubt about that.
He might still be raw, but as the statistics suggest, Scalvini has demonstrated his credentials in one of the toughest leagues on the continent.
Signing Nwaneri might inject yet more dynamism into the final third and give the supporters a major jolt, but the more important signing would be that of Scalvini.
“Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles” said Sir Alex Ferguson during his spell at Man United, so prioritising a move for up-and-coming defenders, rather than young attackers, might just turn Maresca’s team into serious challengers for major honours.
After Gittens: Chelsea now want to hijack Newcastle move to sign £52m star
The Blues aren’t done after Gittens.
ByTom CunninghamJul 6, 2025