Apparently there wasn’t enough time to sort out all the squad problems before the transfer window ended. Despite having signed David Luiz, Conte is still interested in bringing in another center-back to fill in for Terry, Cahill or the Brazilian defender. One other reason for being keen on making a new transfer is the fact that the formation could be changed to a 3 defender back line meaning that if one of the available players is out someone definitely needs to be around to step in. According to the Daily Express, Conte does not want to wait until the winter to sign someone new which kind of makes sense given the fact that Zouma is expected to return in November and will probably be fully fit by January or February. Basically the Italian boss needs the next couple of months covered, months which will decide if Luiz is still good enough for Chelsea, if Zouma is ever getting back to his previous form and also if Terry is capable of playing on a regular basis.
There seems to be one solution to cover the defensive gap Conte sees in the team right now and that solution is Martin Caceres. There is little info regarding his physical integrity right now given the fact that he is unattached. The 29-year-old has been in recovery after an Achilles tendon rupture that kept him on the bench starting with the 1st of February. While some may argue that he is in pretty much the same situation as Zouma and that playing him is just as big as a gamble as playing the French center-back, others may say the opposite. Caceres knows what it means to recover from injury and he also knows this might be his last chance to play for a major club. The experience he has should be enough for him to step in whenever needed. While this plan has a lot of cracks in it, it is still better than having to risk the integrity of players like Zouma who could represent the future of the Blues’ defense. It would even be good to alternate between Caceres and the Frenchman to slowly integrate him back into the team.
The former Juventus defender is currently next to Ryan Babel the highest rated player without a contract. In terms of defenders Chelsea might also be interested in Yohan Tavares who is also out of contract and has a much cleaner injury sheet than Caceres.