Five possible replacements for injured Chelsea star Chilwell
James Shearman
- 24 Nov 2021 17:17 GMT
- 3 min read
Despite Chelsea's 4-0 win over Juventus on Tuesday, the Blues suffered a huge blow in the form of an injury to one of their key players.
Ben Chilwell went off with a knee problem which many fear to be damage to his anterior cruciate ligament.
And should this be the case, the Englishman will be out for the rest of the season, leaving Marcos Alonso as the only available left-back in the squad.
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Chilwell found himself out of the team at the start of the campaign, but has since rediscovered his fine form, scoring three goals in six Premier League games.
The marauding wing-back, alongside Reece James, has been key to Chelsea's excellent run which sees them top of the Premier League after 12 games.
Indeed, Alonso can provide a similar goal threat, but he has been caught out defensively on numerous occasions in his career.
As such, the Blues could look to sign a replacement left-back in the January transfer window.
Who could Chelsea sign?
Nicolas Tagliafico has been linked with a move away from Ajax for quite some time.
In fact, he was a part of the Dutch club's famous Champions League run to the semi-final in 2019, which many thought would secure him a transfer to one of Europe's top clubs.
Now, two-and-a-half seasons later, Chelsea could be after the 29-year-old to solve their left-back conundrum.
The Blues were linked with former Leeds United player Alfonso Pedraza in the summer transfer window.
The left-back is particularly good going forward, and shouldn't command a ridiculous fee.
That said, Villareal won't want to let go of one of their star men, particularly if they progress to the Champions League knockout rounds.
Robin Gosens has missed over half of Atalanta's Serie A fixtures this season through injury, but will have fully recovered by January.
The 27-year-old's 11 Serie A goals last season proves that he is well suited to Chelsea's wing-back system.
Feel sorry for Chilwell. Doesn't look good.
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) November 23, 2021
He also showed his quality in this summer's European Championship, on the back of the stellar goalscoring campaign for his club.
Another player perfectly suitable for the Blues' vacant left wing-back role is Raphael Guerreiro.
And the Portuguese defender has not played a major part in Borussia Dortmund's season so far having spent time out with injuries, potentially making him more available than he might have been for the upcoming window.
Dortmund are involved in a title race, though, so selling players won't be a priority, while they usually command high fees for their players.
Emerson Palmieri
It is unclear whether Chelsea have the option to freely recall the Italian from his loan at Lyon.
Though, in all likelihood, a deal could be struck if the Blues offer some sort of compensation.
Emerson is not ideal, but his experience in Thomas Tuchel's system could prove valuable, especially for a mid-season acquisition.
Read more about: UEFA Champions League, Premier League, Chelsea, Alfonso Pedraza, Ben Chilwell, Emerson, Marcos Alonso, Nicolas Tagliafico, Raphael Guerreiro, Robin Gosens
