Chelsea have spent a lot of money to assemble their defence, paying £52m to sign Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace during the summer.

Wesley Fofana was an unused substitute in the Blues’ 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, but he was not cheap either. In 2022, they signed the Frenchman from Leicester City in a £70m deal.

In contrast, Chelsea did not have to pay a single penny for Levi Colwill or Josh Acheampong. Both players have come through the club’s academy and are firmly part of Xabi Alonso’s first team.

That is what makes things really interesting. Colwill and Acheampong are academy graduates who are still very young, yet you can make a case for either of them being Chelsea’s best central defender.

Josh Acheampong’s numbers vs Everton

This season, you would have to say that Acheampong deserves the title of Chelsea’s best centre-back. As a matter of fact, he has arguably been the Blues’ best defender outright, with the 20-year-old putting in another solid display against Everton on Saturday.

As per Sofascore, Acheampong made 10 defensive contributions, more than any other player on the pitch. That includes six clearances, which is encouraging. Despite being a young and modern centre-back, Acheampong still knows when to clear his lines.

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Everton away is a tricky fixture and can be a really physical battle, but Acheampong competed. He won six out of 10 ground duels and two out of three aerial duels. Acheampong is a young lad, but he has a huge frame, standing at 6’3″, and uses it well.

While Acheampong is quite big, he is not clumsy. The England Under-21 international is very good on the ball, misplacing just two of his 29 passes. It means he had a passing accuracy of 93%.

Acheampong even managed to register a key pass. Ultimately, he did his defensive duties but also helped Chelsea to retain possession and start attacks.

Colwill and Lacroix are both quality centre-halves. There has been some improvement in these last couple of games, but Colwill is still adjusting to Alonso’s system, while Lacroix has not done anything spectacular yet. With that in mind, again, Acheampong has been Chelsea’s best centre-back this term.

Acheampong and Fofana are battling for the same spot, but the former should continue to get the nod. The England Under-21 star is perfect for the right centre-back role in Alonso’s back three.

He has the pace to cope in the right channel, the strength and defensive skills to contain centre-forwards and the technical ability to help build up play. Alonso should not take him out for Fofana.

Chelsea want to hand Acheampong a new contract, which would be deserved after the start he has made to the season.