Why Chelsea should keep hold of Emerson Palmieri amidst Italian interest
According to Goal (h/t Sky Sports), Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri is attracting interest from Italy.
The line of Italian clubs waiting to land in the out-of-favour man at Stamford Bridge include Napoli, Juventus and Inter Milan. However, the 25-year-old full-back is hopeful of securing his long-time future with the Premier League side.
Meanwhile, Serie A side Napoli, who have entered the race to sign the left-back recently, consider him as a replacement for Mario Rui and Faouzi Ghoulam ahead of the next transfer window.
It has not been an entirely fruitful season for Italian international Emerson under new boss Frank Lampard this season. Despite starting in the initial few matches, Emerson has fallen down the pecking order at the Blues, opening doors for Spaniard Marcos Alonso.
Emerson last played for Chelsea in their 2-2 draw against rivals Arsenal at home in January. Since then, he has missed out on Blues’ last five Premier League fixtures before play got suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
So far, he has made just 14 appearances in what has been a decent outing for Lampard’s side. To add to his list of woes, Emerson has not been able to register a single goal or assist until now.
Chelsea are currently 4th in the league table, thanks to their young academy graduates like Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and few others. However, Emerson has not been a major part of this season’s plans, with manager Lampard opting to go with his side’s younger talents.
Alonso who had earlier in the season lost his spot to Emerson, has quickly regained his spot from the Italian with a string of successful displays. Even on days when he is out of form, Lampard had decided to rely on his experienced skipper Cesar Azpilicueta on the left than handing over the duties to Emerson.
Alonso has an impressive four goals and three assists to his name despite featuring in fewer league matches (11) than the Italian. Also, Chelsea have been in the lookout for new options in the left-back role as Lampard is planning to bolster his squad ahead of next season.
Leicester City man Ben Chilwell and Porto’s Alex Telles have emerged as the Blues primary summer targets. However, with the uncertainty still looming large due to the coronavirus outbreak, only the future can say what’s in store for the London-based side.
Considering the fact that Chelsea do not have too many options in this department except for Emerson and Alonso, it would be wise of them to hold on to the Italian.
Also, barring this season, Emerson has been a consistent performer, having excelled at Serie A side Roma that saw him earn a move to England.
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Verdict
Given the dearth of players that Chelsea have at their disposal, offloading Emerson at such a crucial juncture seems like an impractical choice. Hence, the Blues should keep their £17.6m signing close at this moment than let him go.
