Chelsea’s £35 million signing, Benoit Badiashile, has come under fire from former Blues defender William Gallas, who claims the young Frenchman is “not good enough for the Premier League.” Badiashile, who joined Chelsea from Monaco in January 2023, has struggled to cement his place as a first-team regular at Stamford Bridge.
The 23-year-old defender made over 100 appearances for Monaco and earned caps for the France national team, a notable achievement considering the depth of talent in the French center-back position. However, since arriving at Chelsea midway through the 2022-23 season, Badiashile has made just 11 appearances in total for the club, featuring in only half of last season’s Premier League games. This season, he has yet to see action in the league, with all four of his appearances coming in the Europa Conference League and the Carabao Cup.
Gallas, reflecting on Badiashile’s lack of playing time, indicated that he had doubts about the player’s suitability for the Premier League when he first observed him in Ligue 1. “When I saw Benoit Badiashile at Monaco about two years ago, I knew then that he wasn’t the sort of player that would thrive in the Premier League,” Gallas stated during an interview with Prime Casino. He expressed his surprise at Chelsea’s decision to sign Badiashile, noting, “He has quality, but not at Premier League level. I was really surprised when Chelsea signed him, and now he is suffering on the bench because he isn’t playing.”
Badiashile signed a seven-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea upon his transfer, but manager Enzo Maresca has opted for a center-back partnership of Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana this season, leaving Badiashile on the sidelines. Chelsea’s defense has been impressive, contributing to the team’s strong start, with the Blues currently sitting fourth in the Premier League after winning four of their opening seven league games.
Despite Chelsea’s recent positive results, Gallas remains skeptical about their ability to secure a top-four finish, particularly after their recent 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at home. “Chelsea have shown more positives than negatives this season, but they should be beating teams like Nottingham Forest at home,” he noted. “If you don’t win games like Nottingham Forest at home, you won’t be able to finish in the top four.”
While Gallas expresses concern over Chelsea’s consistency, Maresca has voiced his satisfaction with the team’s progress since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino. “To think by the second international break you are fourth and the team is playing in the way we are playing… it’s something I am very happy about,” he said.
As Chelsea prepares for a crucial match against early league leaders Liverpool at Anfield, all eyes will be on Badiashile and his future role within the squad, as questions linger about his ability to meet the demands of Premier League football.
