Baba Rahman still dreams of a Chelsea career despite all the odds

Baba Rahman was once the heir apparent to the left back spot at Chelsea. Injury has robbed him of that but he has not given up yet.

Chelsea’s hunt for Ashley Cole’s successor took longer than expected. Filipe Luis was supposed to be the clear and obvious choice as he joined Chelsea when many considered him to be the world’s best left back. Jose Mourinho did not share that view.

Mourinho continued to play Cesar Azpilicueta on his unnatural left side and Branislav Ivanovic on the right. In 2015, the club bought Baba Rahman after he had the statistical best season for a left back in the Bundesliga. Luis went back to Atletico Madrid. And Mourinho still kept Azpilicueta and Ivanovic as his two starting fullbacks.

Of course, Ivanovic hit a cliff in form and never recovered. Mourinho was sacked and Guus Hiddink became the interim. At this point, even Kenedy was favored at left back. Antonio Conte got a look at Rahman and decided he needed a loan to focus on defensive duties. Off to Schalke he went. But injury kept him from playing for nearly the entire first year of his loan. But despite barely playing, Rahman still has a dream of playing for Chelsea.

Rahman is still recovering from all his time off as he missed nearly an entire season. Before that, he was key to the side. But the new manager is not as keen to bring Rahman back into the fold as of yet.

Injury can rob players of a great deal of speed if their recovery is mismanaged. And Rahman’s greatest and most used trait was his speed. He was so statistically strong in the Bundesliga before Chelsea bought him not because he was a defensive mastermind, but because his speed let him press high up the field in an unexpected way. If his speed never returns, can he ever be the player he was?

Furthermore, his pathway at Chelsea is as muddled as ever. Marcos Alonso finally filled Chelsea’s need for a left back after years of Azpilicueta doing admirably at the role. Emerson Palmieri showed a great deal of promise prior to his own injury and Chelsea bought him to be Alonso’s deputy. While Palmieri is still welded to the bench, he appears to be ahead of Rahman in the pecking order for now.

The thing that will most hurt Rahman is his age. At 24, when he comes back to Chelsea the only choice will be between selling him and keeping him to play. At best, that will be from the bench if a similarly aged Palmieri decides to depart (on loan or otherwise). Will that be good enough for Rahman’s dream?

The leftback does fit the mold of a Maurizio Sarri fullback due to his offensive skills. But that alone may not be enough to put him into contention. Alonso holds the spot down until further notice and Rahman must break through at Schalke first. If he can do that, then he can start talking about returning to Chelsea and playing.

Injury and poor management robbed a very good player of his chances at Chelsea. The odds are very much against him now, but Rahman still has some control over his own destiny. If he can use this season to return to the top of Bundesliga’s left backs, then he can spin it into Chelsea next year. It is a long shot but doable.