Chelsea dealt blow in pursuit of full-back after Brighton draw once again highlights frailties

In the last week, Chelsea’s already slim title hopes have been erased entirely, with the Blues now sitting 12 points behind leaders Manchester City, who also have a game in hand on them.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were somewhat lucky to earn a draw against Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday evening, and are now without a win in four Premier League matches.

The Blues had gone ahead in the first-half through a rare Hakim Ziyech goal, but they were dominated by their hosts for much of the second half and the Seagulls drew level through Adam Webster after an hour.

One of Chelsea’s notable weaknesses was on the flanks, where Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta, deputising for long-term absentees Ben Chilwell and Reece James respectively, looked well below par.

With the England duo both out for several weeks, the Blues have been linked with a number of full-backs in the last month, and are reportedly keen on signing at least one before the January window slams shut.

Dest can operate as a full-back on both sides

One of their targets, Lucas Digne, has already joined Aston Villa, and now it appears that they will miss out on another candidate.

As per Metro, Sergino Dest is happy at current club Barcelona and is ‘unlikely’ to depart the club this month.

One of the player’s agents, Michael Reschke, told Ran that “Sergio feels good in Barcelona”.

“It’s a great club. That’s why it’s actually rather unlikely at the moment,” he added.

Dest is a versatile full-back who can operate on either side of a back four and also on the wing, potentially making him the perfect candidate to provide cover on both sides of Tuchel’s back five.

The former Ajax man has made a strong start to this campaign, playing in all of Barcelona’s first 12 La Liga matches, before a string of injury problems hindered his run of form over the festive period.

The US international joined the Catalan side from Ajax in October 2020, and has since made 57 appearances for the club.