Transfer News: Lyon coach confirms Emerson Palmieri wouldn’t be re-joining Chelsea in January window
According to Metro, the attempts made by Chelsea to recall Emerson Palmieri have been rejected by Lyon, as confirmed by the Ligue 1 side’s head coach.
Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell succumbed to injury in November, and after his recent surgery, it was clear that Thomas Tuchel will miss his availability for the rest of the season.
Marcos Alonso is the only viable backup option for the position. At 31 years of age, the manager knows that he can’t take the risk of another injury, and so, has tried many short-term options in that position- Malang Sarr being the latest name after Saul Niguez and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The injury issue made it obvious that the West London team needed a left-back signing in the January transfer window. Even though our team heavily targeted Lucas Digne, the French defender has ended up at Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa.
Amid the failed pursuit, Thomas Tuchel attempted to recall Emerson Palmieri from his loan spell at Lyon. But despite several attempts and a compensation offer of £3.3 million, our board couldn’t convince the French side.
When asked about Chelsea’s attempt to recall their loanee, Lyon coach Peter Bosz confirmed on Friday that they would keep hold of the left-back until the end of the season, ruling out any possibility of a January departure.
“Yes, we will keep Emerson.”
Emerson showed incredible performances in the first half of the season and that is primarily why he is regularly getting game time under Peter Bosz. In the 20 appearances he made across all competitions for Les Gones, it was evident that he could do a job for us in the second half of the season.
An able attacker and an astute defender, Emerson is a solid left wing-back who also impressed for Italy in the summer. He filled in down the left flank to help Roberto Mancini’s team lift the UEFA Euros 2020 in the final against England.
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Our team, however, has managed to recall Kenedy from his loan spell at Flamengo, and Thomas Tuchel can use him as a short-term cover. The Brazilian has been good for the Brazilian side that won the Brazilian title last season. He may not be the best option in the circumstances, but the 25-year-old may well be what we have to make do with for the remainder of the season.