Chelsea looking into Emerson recall but Tuchel not expecting resolution for ‘maybe weeks’

Chelsea are in need of at least one new wing-back this January after Ben Chilwell’s torn ACL and subsequent surgery — and perhaps two with Reece James also expected to miss a couple months with his hamstring injury — and one possible solution, at least in theory, is to recall left back Emerson Palmieri, who’s on loan at Olympique Lyonnais.

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that we are indeed exploring this possibility.

“We are looking into the situation because we have now a new situation with Ben Chilwell. One of the possibilities is a player we know and we love as a person, Emerson. But we need to check the details. We are discussing and reflecting and this will go on for the next days, maybe weeks.”

-Thomas Tuchel; source: Evening Standard

Emerson was little more than third-choice last season behind Chilwell and Marcos Alonso, with fewer than 800 minutes across 15 appearances, most of which came in domestic cup competitions. His departure in the summer was almost an inevitability. And he’s found a good situation at Lyon, where he’s been practically ever present since his arrival.

And even if he were willing to return, it’s unclear whether we can even recall him in the first place. Conflicting reports over the past week have both denied and confirmed the option, though no one seems to think it’s a truly realistic possibility.

But hey, it can’t hurt to ask.