Did Chelsea fail to understand the potential of this superstar?
Yesterday, Chelsea confirmed that Italian star, and recent Euro 2021 winner, Emerson Palmieri, would be moving to Olympique Lyonnais for the rest of the season on loan. The French giants also have the option to buy him completely next season, should the Brazilian-born left-back impress them in this season. This is not a big blow to the Blue’s squad, as they already have two more players in that position, but it begs us to ask this question, “did Chelsea fail to recognize Emerson’s full potential?”
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The 27-year-old star was brought to Stamford Bridge, three years ago by Antonio Conte. The Italian coach who loved to play three at the back wanted some competition for Marcos Alonso, and thus brought in a similar player from AS Roma. Emerson was a highly talented player although he was not very well recognized in the Premier League. In his first season with the club, he only made 27 appearances for the club, in the next season he made even fewer appearances, and in the last season, he played for Chelsea only 15 times in all competitions.
Chelsea star goes to Lyon on a loan deal
Even though he was extremely underused by all the Blue’s managers since Conte, he was still one of the best in his position. The difference between Emerson and Alonso was their defending skills. While Alonso was slow to recover the ball, and often left his man unmarked, the Italian was always running up and down the pitch, and paid attention to his defensive duties as well. However, since Frank Lampard decided to bring in Ben Chilwell from Leicester City, Emerson has fallen down the pecking list even more, and he finally made the decision to go out on a loan.
Even though the player was playing very few games for the European Champions each season, he was still practicing every day, and his hard work was noticed by Roberto Mancini who gave him the chance to prove himself in the Euros. While some might say that Emerson was only in the semi-finals and the finals due to the injury of Leonardo Spinazzola, and they would be right. However, the fact of the matter is that the Chelsea player stepped up to the challenge when his country needed him the most.
Even though the player was not playing consistently at club level, and he was out of touch with high-level games, his performances against Spain and England were top notch, and it really shows you the amount of talent he actually possesses. Had Lampard chosen to trust the former Roma man instead of buying a new left-back, he might have been a regular starter for the Blues. However, even Thomas Tuchel prefers Chilwell to Emerson, and we might never see the Italian’s true abilities in a Chelsea shirt.
As for now, he will be playing the next season in the Ligue 1, and the likes of Messi, Neymar, Payet, Mbappe, will be his new rivals. It will be a big challenge for him however, Lyon are a strong side who always competes for silverware. He might have been an undiscovered gem however, we wish him the very best in the future, and hopefully, he can continue his amazing international career as well.
Next. Five talking points from Tammy Abraham’s move. dark
Do you think Emerson was overlooked by the Chelsea manager? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!