Emerson Palmieri in action for Chelsea. (Getty Images)
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Chelsea offloading 24-year-old star for £22m would be a transfer blunder by Sarri – Blues must avoid it

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Chelsea opinion – Emerson wanted by AC Milan – should the Blues sell?

According to a report in the Sun (h/t Calciomercato), Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri is being lined up for a £22m move to Italian side AC Milan. It is claimed that the player’s agent met with Milan chiefs on Monday and held discussions extensively.

The 24-year-old, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in the January window of 2018 for £17.6m, initially struggled to nail a starting place down in the team. (h/t Sun)

However, in the past couple of months, with Marcos Alonso showing his frailties as a left-back, the ex-Roma man has been getting regular game-time.

Milan are expected to spend big in the summer window, as they look to secure Champions League football. Therefore, they will be putting a lot of pressure on making this move happen because they require a left-back. (h/t Sun)

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Emerson

But, here’s why Chelsea shouldn’t bulge and keep hold of the player beyond this summer:

Emerson is now a first-choice left-back in the team

When Emerson first arrived at Chelsea, Antonio Conte was in charge. Under his tutelage, the Blues played with three at the back and two wing-backs on either side. Marcos Alonso, a wing-back by trade, was bought from Fiorentina to play the left wing-back role.

The Spaniard did well in that position under Conte. However, when Maurizio Sarri arrived last summer, he started playing as a left-back. Slowly but surely, teams began figuring out that the 28-year-old doesn’t have the defensive attributes to play as a left-back.

Sarri backed (h/t ESPN) him to produce the goods and kept persisting with him until February. But consistent under-par performances forced the manager to start with orthodox left-back Emerson in that position.

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Since then, we have seen that the Italian international is doing a much better job. As a result, he is now a regular in the team and Chelsea look better as a team.

Hence, it won’t be an understatement to suggest that the 24-year-old can enhance his game further and become a first-choice left-back for a longer period of time.

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Conclusion

All in all, we can conclude that it would be a foolish decision from Chelsea to let go of Emerson in the summer. Replacement left-backs won’t be easy to find. Moreover, with the current transfer ban imposed, the Blues might not be able to replace him.