Colville stand-in? Maresca admits Chelsea needs to strengthen defense and may introduce central defender

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca confirmed that strengthening the team's defense was his top priority after Levi Colville underwent ACL surgery.

Coleville was injured in training earlier this week and faces a long recovery period and is expected to miss most of the new season. Although Chelsea has invested more than 200 million pounds (£200million) in new players this summer, Maresca said the club is likely to return to the transfer market. Maresca said after Chelsea's pre-season friendly match with Leverkusen: "This is a top priority for me. Colville is an excellent player. Our results last season are inseparable from his contribution. He played many games for me and I like him. We will miss him. We are also trying to find different solutions. "

In this game played at Stamford Bridge Stadium, Chelsea, who had only resumed training for four days, easily beat Leverkusen 2-0. Speaking of the team's performance, Maresca said: "(I'm very satisfied with) the team's performance, especially since they only practiced for four days together. This is a good start." Brazilian young player Estewan scored one goal with Joao Pedro in this game, and his debut performance was amazing. Maresca commented on the new star: "He is very young, extremely young. He needs to adapt and play. I said yesterday that he will become an important combat force because he is an extraordinary player. "

Chelsea has greatly strengthened the front line this summer. Maresca admits that due to the fierce competition in position, not all players can get satisfactory playing time: "It is impossible for everyone to be happy forever, because they will not be happy if they don't play. They must understand that there are 22, 23, and 24 excellent players in the team, and it will be normal to need to accept rotation. "

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