Maxence Lacroix: Key Defender in Chelsea's New Formation

Xabi Alonso has barely set foot in Cobham, yet one question is already circling Fantasy Premier League managers: is Maxence Lacroix worth £6.0m?

The French centre-back arrives at Chelsea with numbers that demand attention, but his value in 2026/27 Fantasy will live or die on one thing – how Alonso chooses to build his back line.

From Palace lynchpin to Chelsea cornerstone?

For two seasons at Crystal Palace, Lacroix was the calm in the middle of a three-man defence, operating as the central figure in a 3-4-2-1. He wasn’t just tidy; he was productive.

Last season he racked up 154 points, seventh among all defenders. One goal, two assists, 11 clean sheets and a hefty 40 defensive contribution (DC) points underlined a profile built on reliability rather than headline-grabbing hauls.

Run that back a year. If the DC metric had existed in 2024/25, Lacroix would have posted 34 DC points – a figure beaten by only four defenders in the league. Across the last two campaigns, he sits in rare company: only James Tarkowski has matched his consistency in the DC charts, with both players finishing in the top five for DC in each of the last two seasons.

That’s not a hot streak. That’s a pattern.

Elite in the dirty work

The DC metric rewards exactly the kind of work Lacroix thrives on: blocks, clearances, recoveries, the unseen graft that holds a back line together.

In 2024/25, his 34 projected DC points would have placed him alongside the likes of Wout Faes and Dara O’Shea, just behind Tarkowski’s 44 and Jan Bednarek’s 40. In 2025/26, he stepped it up again with 40 DC points, bettered only by Marcos Senesi (50) and Tarkowski (44).

Two seasons. Two top-five finishes for DC. It’s the sort of base that makes him a classic “set and forget” candidate if Alonso leans into a system that suits him.

And that’s the crux: system.

Alonso used wing-backs to devastating effect at Bayer Leverkusen. If he repeats that blueprint at Stamford Bridge, Lacroix is built for the middle of a back three. Chelsea’s summer friendlies will tell us whether that’s the plan or whether Alonso pivots to a back four.

A quiet set-piece giant

Look at Lacroix’s headline attacking numbers – one goal and two assists in each of his two Palace seasons – and you’d be forgiven for shrugging. He doesn’t scream attacking monster.

Dig into the detail and the picture changes.

Last season he ranked among the top 10 defenders for both headed shots from set-pieces (15) and total shots from set-pieces (23). Those are identical numbers to Arsenal’s Gabriel, who turned similar opportunities into three goals and five assists.

Go back to 2024/25 and the scale of his aerial involvement becomes even clearer. No defender had more shots from set-pieces than Lacroix’s 27. No defender had more headed efforts than his 20. Only Nikola Milenkovic and Virgil van Dijk could match that headed volume, and they finished that campaign with five and three goals respectively.

The process is there. The output hasn’t caught up yet.

For Fantasy managers, that’s intriguing rather than discouraging. The underlying threat is real, and a tweak in delivery, role or simple variance could turn those numbers into goals.

Why Chelsea need him at dead balls

Chelsea’s own set-piece output from their defenders last season was underwhelming. Only Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana managed more than three headed shots from set-pieces in the league.

Chalobah led the way with 12 shots from set-pieces, nine of them headers, across 31 starts. Fofana managed eight set-piece shots, six with his head, in 20 starts. Respectable, but not dominant.

Now drop Lacroix’s Palace numbers into that context. His 23 set-piece shots last season dwarf Chalobah’s 12. His 15 headed efforts outstrip every Chelsea defender comfortably.

And Chelsea may need that profile immediately. Chalobah has been linked with a move away. Fofana is sidelined until September. That opens the door for Lacroix to walk straight into a back three, potentially flanked by Reece James and Levi Colwill.

Chelsea’s own numbers underline why his arrival matters. James had 10 shots from set-pieces last season – none of them headers. Colwill barely featured in 2025/26, starting just twice, so his breakout 2024/25 campaign is the fairer reference point: 14 set-piece shots, nine headers, across 35 starts.

Lacroix, over his last two seasons, has averaged 17.5 headed shots from set-pieces per campaign. That’s almost double Colwill’s nine in his single full season as a starter.

If Alonso wants an aerial focal point at corners and free-kicks, he’s just signed one.

The Fantasy dilemma: pay up or look down the price list?

So where does that leave managers building their 2026/27 squads?

At £6.0m, Lacroix sits in the premium bracket. That price demands both security of starts and multiple routes to points. The data suggests he can offer exactly that if Alonso sticks with a three-man defence: elite DC output, regular clean-sheet potential in a stronger side, and serious set-piece involvement.

He looks tailor-made for those who like to lock in a defender and forget about that slot for months, hunting value in midfield and attack instead.

But there’s a cheaper alternative lurking in the same dressing room.

If Colwill nails down a regular role in pre-season, his £5.0m tag becomes very hard to ignore, especially if Alonso opts for a back four where full-backs and centre-backs share the load differently. Colwill has already shown he can be a set-piece presence, and with Chelsea out of European competition this season, there’s hope that both he and James can avoid the kind of relentless schedule that has so often led to injuries.

Lacroix is the proven DC machine with a growing aerial profile. Colwill is the discounted option with upside. James is the wildcard with a history of explosive returns and frustrating absences.

Alonso’s system will decide which one becomes essential. The numbers say Lacroix is ready. The question is whether Chelsea – and Fantasy managers – are prepared to build around him.