The Blues had a failed transfer window in the summer. The players outlined by the manager were never acquired and to add insult to injury, a large chunk of young players from the first team squad left leaving Antonio Conte with a thinly veiled squad. The Italian has spoken about the dissatisfaction of not having enough players to choose from. Of the many positions that need adjustment, the biggest area of concern for Chelsea is the left wing back.
Chelsea only has Marcos Alonso as a recognized senior team centre back. The Spaniard was a deadline day transfer for Chelsea last season. After failing to acquire a new left-back throughout the summer in 2016, Chelsea turned their attention to the Spaniard in the eleventh hour of the transfer day.
The 25-year old went on to enjoy a productive season for the Blues and helped them clinch the Premier League title with some excellent performances at the left-wing back. With Chelsea playing 3-4-3, Alonso was given a license to bombard up and down the left wing without worrying about the defence too much.
He is now the most active and possibly the only player with enough quality to start for the Blues on a regular basis. His first back up Abdul Baba Rahman has not been involved with Chelsea despite his recovery from the injury and looks set to be loaned out to return to form. Signed from Augsburg in 2015, Abdul Baba Rahman has had a frustrating time at Chelsea. The Ghanian defender has only made 15 appearances for the club since his hefty €20 million switches from the German side. A series of injuries has left him out of the side and since his return, he has not been able to impress Conte enough to merit a place in the first team squad leaving Brazilian winger Kenedy as Conte’s makeshift cover at wing back.
To bring in some cover for the fast-tiring Alonso, Chelsea is now being linked with a move for Roma left-back Emerson Palmieri. The 23-year-old Brazilian is expected to cost around £ 20 million should the Blues opt to go for him. The player has missed the first three months of the season with a cruciate injury and has only made two first-team appearances this season for the Roman side.
While he is not the big player signing Chelsea fans would have hoped for, he might well add good value to the squad as a backup option for Conte given Chelsea’s tight schedule in the second half of the season.
