Maxence Lacroix already has special relationship with new Chelsea transfer target
Chelsea have been linked with signing Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell, who developed a particularly strong relationship with Maxence Lacroix when they played together.
The Blues are eyeing Mitchell as his contract is up at the end of the season, as they continue to try to add Premier League experience to their squad after neglecting that for a number of years.
Bringing in the Englishman would be a damning blow to Pep Chavarria, who only joined the club over the summer and is pushing for more regular starts at Stamford Bridge.
Maxence Lacroix has special relationship with new Chelsea transfer target Tyrick Mitchell
One player who would be delighted with the addition is Lacroix, who built an important pre-match routine with Mitchell when they were playing for Palace together.
He told the PFA back in 2024 that he would pray alongside Mitchell and a number of his former teammates before a game, describing the moment as ‘powerful’.
He said: “I am so happy. I’m so grateful to God because he sent me to a team where we really have a lot of Christians. The first game after I came, I said, okay, let’s pray together. So, I asked Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell, Eddie Nketiah and Joel (Ward). We pray together, and it was so powerful.
“The guys were like, okay, let’s do this every time now.”
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Mitchell has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign despite Palace’s woes, notably scoring twice in their 3-2 win against Fulham, where Ben Chilwell also found the net.
Lacroix has impressed since joining Chelsea, however he has joined a club who are struggling at the back under new manager Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard joined an unwanted club of managers to concede two or more goals in all of his first five Premier League games, with Lacroix starting in four of those.
There were questions asked of Alonso over not starting Lacroix against Hull City, given his aerial dominance up against a side who were always going to ask questions of the Blues.
It is a mistake he won’t make again, while the likes of Chavarria and Jorrel Hato will be looking to nail down the left-back position before the potential addition of Mitchell.
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