Top News

Jamie Carragher has criticised Chelsea's transfer strategy as they look to bolster their defence for new manager Liam Rosenior. The Liverpool legend reckons the Blues need to prioritise signing a seasoned veteran to progress if they hold genuine hopes of clinching the Premier League in future campaigns.

Chelsea are interested in signing young centre-back Jeremy Jacquet to strengthen their squad, with the Blues still in talks with the Ligue 1 club, who are hesitant to part with the 20-year-old halfway through the campaign. Carragher doesn't anticipate that signing will worry Chelsea's competitors.

The average age of Chelsea's starting XI stands at 24 years and 210 days, making them younger than any of Chelsea's title-winning sides. The club's youngest title-winning side was during their maiden triumph under Jose Mourinho at 25 years and 250 days.

• Liam Rosenior explains reason Cole Palmer is not playing for Chelsea against Crystal Palace

• Rennes boss makes Jeremy Jacquet transfer admission Chelsea will love

Carragher has explained why he thinks regularly signing young prospects won't restore Chelsea to their former glory days.

When questioned whether Chelsea's strategy troubled him, Carragher said on Sky Sports: "No, because I don't want Chelsea to win the league.

FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE!Latest Blues news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

"I want Liverpool to win the league. If I were a Chelsea fan, it would bother me because the numbers tell you about how to go about winning the league.

"If you continually buy young players, they're not going to mature at the same time, they're not all going to get to where you want to get to, all be amazing signings. That's not going to happen.

"The reason they chop and change centre-backs so often is that they're all the same. The same sort of level, there's no real standout there.

"That defender [Jacquet], as we both know, I'm sure he's got great potential, but he'll make mistakes because he's young. That's what young centre-backs do.

"That's definitely an area they have to improve, but it's not a 20, 21-year-old one, it's more 27, 28-year-old one. I think they could look to bring in and help these players along. If they continue like that, I don't see any reason anyone outside of Chelsea will be worried about Chelsea winning a title in the next year or two."

When it comes to the future of Jacquet, Stade Rennais manager Habib Beye acknowledged that all possibilities remain open before the transfer deadline.

"There are still a few days left in the transfer window; anything can happen. We need things to be as calm as possible," Beye said.

"There's an economic reality, and I won't always have the final say. What I said was that when you're a team like Stade Rennais and you have high ambitions, as a coach, I want to keep my best players and have the strongest team possible. Jeremy is one of those players."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.