Ex-Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson thinks his former club should consider signing Ben Chilwell from Chelsea.
The 27-year-old has been frozen out by the Blues and he could be on the move before the transfer window shuts on Friday night. Speaking to Paddy Power, Lawrenson said:
“Good left-backs are rare at the moment – I would think someone would come in and get Ben Chilwell. Liverpool could do with a new left-back, so he could be a good option as squad depth and Kostas Tsimikas is not Champions League level.”
Chilwell hasn’t been the subject of interest from many teams, with reports indicating that only Brentford have made enquiries so far. With Chelsea keen to get him off the club’s books, there would be an opportunity to sign the fullback on the cheap but there are a couple of issues that could stop such a move from happening.
The Chelsea star’s injury record is poor
Since moving from Leicester City to Stamford Bridge for £50m in 2020, the defender has had problems staying fit.
Over the course of the last four seasons, Chilwell has picked up nine separate injuries, keeping him on the sidelines for 517 days. He has had recurrences of both hamstring and knee problems over the past 12 months.
Chilwell would have to accept a pay cut
Another obstacle would be the player’s salary. The left-back is currently earning £200,000 a week at Chelsea, which would make him the third-highest earner if he were to ask for a similar wage at Liverpool. He would be getting more than Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominic Szoboszlai and crucially, Andy Robertson, who he would be competing for minutes with.
If an approach was made for Chilwell, he would probably have to accept his pay being cut in half at the very least.
