Frank Leboeuf gives his take on whether Valentin Barco is good enough for Chelsea
Valentin Barco has come in for his fair share of criticism after Chelsea’s loss to Brentford.
Valentin Barco got the nod in central midfield against Brentford, logging 87 minutes before heading to the bench. He saw plenty of the ball on the left wing, finishing with 65 touches and maintaining a solid 92% pass accuracy.
Moving the attack forward, he chipped in with 11 line-breaking passes and seven into the final third, though his threat in front of goal was limited to one shot and just a single touch in Brentford’s box.
On the defensive side, Barco stayed busy, putting in three tackles, two interceptions, and four recoveries while coming away with six wins from eight duels.
Chelsea’s player ratings after that disastrous performance… do you agree with us?
Who deserves higher and who deserves even lower? 😳
Frank Leboeuf defends Valentin Barco
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf went against the grain with his assessment of Valentin Barco’s performance against Brentford, with many criticising him online.
He believes that the Barco criticism is harsh after one game and that he’s good enough for Chelsea, when speaking on ESPN Extra Time after the game.
Leboeuf said: “I think it’s pretty harsh to Barco and I think they’re very good midfielders and I think if they keep on playing because of the injuries to Caicedo and James they can settle down and be and be good enough for for Chelsea.
“I mean, I saw Barco playing for Strasbourg of course in the different league in different level but the guy is part of the Argentinian national team so he has proven that he has the talent to play for Chelsea so I’m not really concerned about that. That was one game and I didn’t feel that it was because of the middle and the midfielders that we were in danger, that’s more defensively.”
Chelsea have far bigger issues than Valentin Barco
Blaming Valentin Barco for Chelsea’s defensive mess misses the bigger picture entirely. The Blues have been leaking goals at an alarming rate, conceding more than any other Premier League team in 2026 and are currently stuck in a brutal 21-game run without a single clean sheet.
Even Levi Colwill touched on how Chelsea are being bullied this season, despite going to a three-back formation and signing Emi Martinez.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
