Maxence Lacroix One-Ups Morgan Rogers With Huge Claim After Completing Chelsea Transfer

Xabi Alonso has landed his new center back.

Maxence Lacroix has joined Chelsea. | Chelsea FC

Maxence Lacroix has hailed Chelsea as the “best club in the world” after completing his transfer from Crystal Palace.

An agreement was struck between the two clubs last week worth somewhere in the region of £52 million ($69.3 million), and Lacroix has now put pen to paper on a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

He becomes the third signing of the Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea, following Marco Palestra and Morgan Rogers, while new faces Emmanuel Emegha, Geovany Quenda and Dastan Satpayev have all completed pre-agreed moves.

Rogers described Chelsea as the “biggest club in London” after sealing his own move to Chelsea, but Lacroix went one further with his praise for his new club.

“I think it’s the best move for me because it’s the best club in the world,” Lacroix told club media.

“I spoke with Malo [Gusto]. I spoke with Trev [Chalobah]. I spoke with Benoît [Badiashile]. It’s easy for people to speak well about this club because it has a lot of big history and I’m really proud to be a part of it now.

“I spoke with the manager on the phone. We spoke about tactics, we spoke about how he sees the game. First of all, I was happy just to speak about football with him, and I saw that we have the same direction and desire for this club.

“When I spoke with the gaffer, when I spoke also with the people I know from the national team who play for Chelsea, like Malo, they told me it was the best club I can go to.

“So already I was saying: ‘O.K., I don’t need to think too much.’ After talking to people I said to myself: ‘This is the best step forward for me.’”

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Why Have Chelsea Signed Lacroix?

Lacroix enjoyed two excellent years with Crystal Palace. | Jan Kruger/UEFA/Getty Images

Center back proved to be a particularly delicate topic at Chelsea last season, when Levi Colwill’s summer ACL injury saw former manager Enzo Maresca publicly request a replacement. The refusal to grant that wish contributed to behind-the-scenes tensions that ultimately led to the boss’s departure in January.

Even with Colwill back in action, Chelsea went into this summer prepared to bolster in defense and quickly settled on Lacroix. The 26-year-old had four impressive years in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and quickly established himself as a leader in the Palace back line upon his arrival two years ago.

That sort of Premier League-ready quality is right at the top of Chelsea’s list of priorities this summer, with the Blues also closing in on the signing of 35-year-old striker Danny Welbeck and 36-year-old midfielder Jordan Henderson in a major shift away from their divisive transfer policy.

Lacroix has not just been signed for his experience, but is expected to play a major role under Alonso in the coming season, particularly with a handful of Chelsea’s current center backs made available for transfer.

Chelsea are open to offers for Trevoh Chalobah, who played more minutes than any other Blues. center back in the Premier League last season, while Badiashile and Axel Disasi are both thought to be available for transfer.

Mamadou Sarr and Aarón Anselmino could both depart on loan, while even Wesley Fofana and Josh Acheampong have faced questions about their futures.

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