Chelsea survived the trip to hell and back: State of the Blue-nion

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: N'golo Kante of Chelsea is challenged by Oleksandr Zinchenko of Manchester City during the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: N'golo Kante of Chelsea is challenged by Oleksandr Zinchenko of Manchester City during the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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chelsea, emerson palmieri
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – DECEMBER 13: Emerson Palmieri of Chelsea FC controls the ball during the UEFA Europa League Group Stage Match between Vidi FC and Chelsea FC at Ferencvaros Stadium on December 13, 2018 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Laszlo Szirtesi/Getty Images)

4. Transfer rumors never stop

The transfer front cooled down, other than the Chelsea Twitter admin trolling us all. This was largely due to FIFA handing down a two-window ban on all Chelsea transfers. Regardless, there were still some whispers of players Chelsea may sign, should they be allowed one more window during the appeal process.

The most intriguing player mentioned last month was Leicester’s Ben Chilwell. Chilwell, despite age, has become a staple in the Leicester squad. Not only that, he’s established himself as one of the best left backs in the Premier League. His defensive soundness and attacking prowess for a left back make him a perfect solution to the ongoing Marcos Alonso-Emerson debate.

Chelsea has been waiting patiently for Emerson to come into his own, but that has yet to happen. He’s shown flashes of becoming a solid footballer, but struggles with consistency when given first team opportunities.

Meanwhile, Alonso simply isn’t the answer anymore. He’s one of the best wing backs in the world, but incredibly poor in a back four. Real Madrid flirted with the Spanish international in the past. The Blues would be smart to sell high while they can. In doing so, the Blues can solve their left back problems by bringing in Chilwell.

In addition to being one of the best left backs in the Premier League, Chilwell is quite young. Just 22, he’d be an integral part in the Blues’ hopeful summer youth revolution. He’s another home-grown player to add to the mix, as well. Chilwell seemingly checks all boxes for a Chelsea transfer, it’s now just a matter of whether the Blues will pull the trigger.