Chelsea have suffered a blow in securing Ben Chilwell's back-up for next season with two possible left-back options now apparently out of the equation, with Emerson Palmieri currently in line to be the second choice left-back in Thomas Tuchel's squad.
The left-back position has been an area of concern for a while now, with the Blues markedly struggling in the Premier League after Ben Chilwell picked up his serious ACL injury in the 4-0 Champions League triumph over Juventus in October 2021.
Marcos Alonso, to his credit, had helped contribute crucial goals throughout the campaign which helped Chelsea secure their third-place finish in this year's standings but the drop off in class from Chilwell to Alonso ultimately led to Manchester City and Liverpool being able to pull away in the title race.
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Despite the news that the Spaniard could be looking to join Barcelona, the Blues' left-back search has fallen down the pecking order slightly due to the departure of Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid, with fellow central defender Andreas Christensen and possibly Cesar Azpilicueta also set to leave Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Chilwell's welcome return against Watford in the final game of the season has also cooled down the concerns over the keft-back spot.
This is exactly why Emerson's name has come back into the equation, with the Italy international reportedly open to returning to west London for 2022/23, despite not having personally held talks as of yet with manager Thomas Tuchel.
Lyon's left-back for the season featured in the recent 'Finalissima' defeat for Italy and was one of the only positives for Roberto Mancini's men on the night. Post-match, the Brazilian-born player informed the media of his plans for next season amid an ongoing transfer conundrum.
"I didn’t speak just yet," Emerson said after Italy’s 3-0 defeat to Argentina on Wednesday in the 'Finalissima' at Wembley. "For me personally, it's been a good season, I played a lot of games. Let's see what happens in the future. I have a contract with Chelsea. I've played there for three years and won some things. If I need to go back there I'm happy.
"Now I go back to Chelsea for pre-season and let's see in the next months. It was nice to know they wanted me [when they tried to end his loan spell in January]. I have a contract there. It's my club for three seasons. I have a lot of friends there and if I come back there I am very happy."
Whilst it's still not been confirmed that Emerson will act as Chilwell's understudy for next season, this possibility is looking ever more likely now with what has happened to two of Tuchel's primary options. Brighton are understood to be resisting offers for Marc Cucurella, while RB Leipzig's Marcel Halstenberg also appears destined to stay in the Bundesliga with reports in Germany suggesting that he is close to extending his current deal.
If Stuttgart's Borna Sosa were to rule himself out of the running in the forthcoming weeks, then Chilwell and Emerson are likely to be Tuchel's options for the left side of defence next season.
