Skip to main content
Daily Mirror

Chelsea's 'dream transfer target' is player Liverpool JUST allowed to leave

Ex-Chelsea and France star Marcel Desailly believes a former Liverpool star could thrive under Enzo Maresca if the Blues made a January move to boost their forward ranks

Former Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly reckons the Blues could still stand to benefit from adding a striker this January, and a former Liverpool star could provide the perfect answer. The World Cup-winning Frenchman has claimed Darwin Nunez could thrive in a system under Enzo Maresca.


The Uruguay international departed Anfield in the summer and now plies his trade for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. Darwin spent three years with Liverpool but blew hot and cold as he won over supporters with his work rate.


The striker has got off to a quick start in Saudi Arabia, however. The 26-year-old has scored four goals and provided two assists in his first six matches for his new club.


Asked who his dream Chelsea transfer target would be, Desailly suggested Darwin has plenty more to offer in the Premier League. "Darwin Nunez for me. Perfect. Spot on," he told Metro via OLBG .

"[He is] young, he had bad luck at Liverpool, but if Liverpool took him, it means that they’ve seen in him a real potential. I wanted Darwin Nunez to come into the system confident, with Maresca, with a good system.


READ MORE: Chelsea star left in agony after shocking tackle as Ajax star shown red card

"It could have really been helpful for Chelsea. Not too expensive. So this is my opinion. I would have really loved to see that player into the squad.

"If he’s still in the market, if Saudi is not suiting him correctly, he could be the one that comes back."

While Desailly wants to see a new forward, he does have some reservations about a leaky Blues defence too. The ex-defender wants to see some stability.


"They are quite young. They had some injuries. They have to replace the players," Desailly said.

"Maresca sometimes likes to play with different tactics, for either three, four, it depends, and he asks his central defender to go forward and play with the midfield.


"They have good defenders, but they are sometimes too attracted by getting the ball back instead of, first of all, you need to defend correctly and allow the others to take on the offensive side of it.

"So it’s just a balance of everything. So we hope the squad is big enough to be able to bring stability to the defence."

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.

Article continues below
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.

Follow Daily Mirror:



Enzo MarescaMarcel DesaillyChelsea FCLiverpool FCChelsea transfer newsDarwin Nunez
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.