Chelsea's defensive rebuild project has hardly produced the fresh fruits many would have hoped for.

Rather, they have been left with a former lower-table loanee and an ex-player who, for all his loveability, is not the rock they wanted to reinforce their ageing, error-ridden defence.

In David Luiz they have signed a player of great talent, but one that is flawed. He may yet improve, of course, but the Brazilian is not a youthful, fresh defender, like Kalidou Koulibaly, as the Chelsea board dithered around transfer fees once again. Luckily, they have finally added an extra left-back to the squad, in the form of Marcos Alonso. But, even he is going to be under pressure to prove he can cope with the expectations of Antonio Conte.

One free agent that may lure the Blues into another defensive addition is Martin Caceres. The utility defender worked with Conte at Juventus and, despite fitness concerns, could add invaluable numbers to a defence that is still so flimsy in the absence of Kurt Zouma.

Ola Aina provides cover at both left and right full-back for Chelsea, although the youngster showed inability to defend against direct running one-on-one wingers during the latter part of pre-season and this would understandably be a concern in the Premier League. Even if there was a significant wait on Caceres to become fully match-ready, his position in the squad as an extra option at both central and the right side of defence would aid the Blues' cause for a successful campaign.

Remember that Guus Hiddink was forced to play John Obi Mikel in central defence at one point during their defensive injury crisis last year; strength in depth cannot be over-valued.

As question marks linger around Alonso, Chelsea's stalwarts are hardly oozing confidence. Their weaknesses down their own inside-right channel between Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic have been prevalent for over 18 months, whilst John Terry continues to need more protection in the left central defensive slot.

An extra experienced, successful option for Conte - who he knows well - can only be a boost for the club.

The greater questions should be asked of the high-level decision-makers at Stamford Bridge. They left it late and failed to acquire the first choice targets for their manager once again, leaving them perilously short of defensive depth.

For a club of Chelsea's stature and financial clout, they were dangerously close to another summer of trading disaster.

They are lucky to have a player of Caceres class available in the free agent market, he could prove himself to be a crucial signing later this season.

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