Report: Chelsea leading Tottenham Hotspur in race to sign 'one of the world's best defenders'
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Chelsea have made a really productive start to life under newly-appointed manager Enzo Maresca.
Maresca has been able to implement a possession-based approach at Chelsea and their big-money acquisitions are starting to gel.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
| 2 | Man CityManchester City | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 23 |
| 3 | ChelseaChelsea | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 19 |
| 4 | ArsenalArsenal | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 19 |
| 5 | Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
The West Londoners reside in third place and look well-placed to return to the Champions League come the end of the season.
Though, there’s still plenty of room for improvement and if they’re to become title challengers, their defence needs addressing.
With that said, it’s just come to light that they’re leading Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign a highly-rated defender.
Chelsea lead Tottenham in race to sign Jonathan Tah
According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea are leading the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah.
The West Londoners have already entered talks to sign Tah, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Tottenham, Manchester United, Newcastle, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also keeping tabs on his situation as they eye a free transfer.
But it’s Chelsea who’s interest is the most advanced and they’re making him one of their top targets to bolster Maresca’s ranks.
Tah keen to explore opportunities
Tah is considered ‘one of the world’s best defenders’, so if Chelsea were to land his signature, it’d be a real coup, especially given the competition.
It’s thought that whilst he’s happy at Leverkusen and hasn’t made a final decision on his future, he’s keen to explore new opportunities.
Interestingly, Tah is of a similar profile to Tosin Adarabioyo, according to FBref data, so evidently Maresca is looking to add another physically imposing defender to his backline.
