Chelsea have reportedly rejected a loan bid by fellow London club West Ham United for backup defender Emerson Palmieri.
According to a report from the Mirror, Chelsea have rejected a loan enquiry for Italian left-back Emerson Palmieri by fellow Premier League outfit West Ham United. The Hammers are in the market for a new left-back as they look to add more cover in the position for Aaron Cresswell due to Arthur Masuaku’s injury.
Masuaku is expected to be unavailable for at least another couple of months, forcing the east London club to dip their toes in the January transfer market. And, West Ham seemingly have identified Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri as an ideal stop-gap option.
Having arrived at the club from AS Roma back in January 2018, Emerson has failed to establish himself as a regular in the first-team at Chelsea. Indeed, in three years at the club, the Italian international has made just 65 appearances for the Blues, scoring one goal and setting up five more.
The ongoing campaign has seen Emerson fall behind summer signing Ben Chilwell in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. The 26-year-old has taken the field for Chelsea just ten times in all competitions. Only two of those appearances have come in the Premier League.
This has seen him get linked with a potential return to Italy, with interest from Napoli being reported not very long ago. Now, West Ham United have made an attempt to pry him away from Chelsea.
However, the Blues have turned down the Hammers’ approach as they have no intentions of letting Emerson leave midway through the campaign. With Chelsea being involved in the Premier League, the FA Cup, as well as the UEFA Champions League, manager Frank Lampard wants adequate cover and depth in all positions in his squad.
Fellow left-back Marcos Alonso has fallen out of favour under Lampard and has not featured in a single game for Chelsea since November last year. Furthermore, the Spaniard has also been linked with an exit in January. it is understandable as to why the west London giants are intent on keeping hold of Emerson.