Chelsea’s problem at left back last season wasn’t a lack of options, it was a lack of quality so it wasn’t a surprise to see them move for Ben Chilwell in the summer.
That did mean that Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri were shunted down the pecking order so they would’ve hoped to move at least one of them on, but it didn’t happen and it’s one of the many areas of the squad that’s bloated just now.
Emerson has only completed 88 minutes in the Premier League this season so a January move could be the best thing for him, and Football Italia have reported that he’s keen on a move to Napoli.
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They quote Gazzetta in suggesting that Napoli are showing an interest in him and there is a relationship between the clubs from the summer when Tiemoue Bakayoko completed a loan move from Chelsea, but it would all depend on Napoli getting rid of Faouzi Ghoulam first.
The Algerian defender is believed to earn €3.5m a year with the club and that’s causing some problems in moving him on, but they would be willing to subsidise some of his wages if it results in a transfer.
It’s also worth noting that they’ve linked Inter Milan with Emerson but it sounds like repeated attempts to reach an agreement with Chelsea have failed, so Napoli may be his best option in January.
Emerson will also have ambitions to secure a place in the Italy squad for EURO 2021 so regular football will certainly help that cause, but he will need to be patient as Napoli look to sell Ghoulam first.