According to a recent report by Italian publication Calcio Mercato, Premier League giants Chelsea tried to sell both Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso to Juventus over the course of the last month. The report claims that the Blues were initially pushing to try and sell the Italian to the Serie A giants before they had a change of heart after the shocking 3-3 draw against West Bromwich Albion a couple of weeks ago. Since that point, the London club have reportedly been pushing to try and get them to sign the Spaniard instead.
It has been claimed in the report that the Turin club were unwilling to agree on an obligation to buy, which was one of the conditions that Chelsea put forward. Although the report has claimed that Chelsea tried to sell Emerson and Marcos Alonso to Juventus, it’s unlikely that they’ll both be shipped out, as that would leave the London club in a sensitive situation. Although that is the case, the possibility of one of them leaving the club as early as January is quite high. The only question that remains to be answered then is which one.
What Is Chelsea’s Current Left-Back Situation?
The London club have struggled with the left-back position over recent years. Since Ashley Cole’s departure from the club all those years ago, Chelsea are yet to have found a regular left-back option. The likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Emerson, have all tried and failed.
Now though, over the course of the recent summer window, Chelsea have managed to bring in the player that they think will come as the English legend’s successor – Ben Chilwell. The former Leicester City man was wanted by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as well, and that alone should be enough to highlight his quality.
Chelsea Tried To Sell Emerson And Marcos Alonso To Juventus: Whose Sale Should Lampard Prioritise?
Marcos Alonso
The Spanish speedster has been a Chelsea player for several years now, having been brought in at the absolute start of Antonio Conte’s Premier League title-winning campaign. Signed from Serie A outfit Fiorentina, the Spaniard quickly became an integral part of the Chelsea setup, albeit operating as a left wing-back. Since the Italian manager’s departure, and Chelsea’s switch back to a four-man defence though, Alonso has found the going extremely tough. Not a natural defender by trade, marking players and maintaining position aren’t his strengths, and this has become an issue.
Emerson Palmieri
The Italian international was also acquired from the Serie A, as Chelsea looked to find an alternative option to Alonso. Despite the initial signs being positive, even he has shown various signs of defensive fragility in the past. Tracking opposition runs is something that the former Roma man struggles with, and this has been an area of concern for quite a while now. What’s even more worrying is the fact that as poor as he is defensively, he isn’t that great going forward either. Balance can be a good thing, but the kind of balance that Emerson offers doesn’t help Lampard’s cause too much.
The Verdict
At the end of the day, the responsibility of a left-back is the defend the left side of the pitch, while also getting forward and helping out in attack whenever possible. Taking that into consideration, it must be conceded that Marcos Alonso isn’t cut out to play in a back-four. As poor as he is going forward, Emerson is a much better defender than Alonso, and this has been proven by Lampard’s hesitance to play the Spaniard over recent weeks. As things stand, Chilwell is surely going to be the first-choice left-back for the near future, which means that selling Marcos Alonso wouldn’t hurt Lampard’s project too much at all.
