Three alternatives to Digne as Chelsea's Chilwell replacement

Cameron Smith

• 10 Jan 2022 08:51 CST
• 4 min read

Everton full-back Lucas Digne has undoubtedly been one of the most popular players in this year’s January transfer window.

As well as being linked with moves to Aston Villa and Newcastle, the French defender has also found his name linked with Chelsea.

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The Stamford Bridge side have unfortunately been forced to consider signing a new left-back in the January window due an ACL injury to Ben Chilwell, which has significantly reduced Thomas Tuchel’s defence on the left side.

However, to the annoyance of the London club, it seems as though Digne has now committed himself to a move to Villa Park instead. So if Chelsea are still in need of a left-back this month, what alternatives to the Everton defender could they club target?

The Dream Option - Theo Hernandez

Theo Hernandez has been a revelation from AC Milan since arriving at the club, and the 24-year-old has finally managed to break into the French senior squad playing as the left wing-back in Didier Deschamps' new 3-4-3 system.

Now into his third season in Milan, Hernandez scored 13 goals and assisted eight in his first two full Serie A seasons, while he's already racked up two goals and five assists in 13 league starts this campaign.

Hernandez fits the mould of an attacking full-back perfectly, and given Tuchel deploys a wing-back system, his defensive issues aren't exposed anywhere near as much as in a back four.

That being said, Hernandez is still a decent defender, but it's his attacking endeavour that catches the eye and stands out. His raw pace is simply exceptional, and he'd provide an excellent overlapping threat on Chelsea's left, with Callum Hudson-Odoi cutting inside.

The only worry is that he'd cost an arm and a leg, and he'd provide direct competition for Chilwell upon his return. Do Chelsea want two left-backs, both of whom cost around £50 million, to compete with one another for a starting spot next season? The competition may be a good thing, but Tuchel may find it hard to rotate between the pair, or even convince Hernandez to join in the first place if he isn't guaranteed a spot in the starting XI.

The Realistic Option - Nicolas Tagliafico

Unlike Hernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico is actually becoming used to playing second fiddle. He has been demoted to the bench at Ajax this season, with Daley Blind moving to left-back due to the emergence of Lisandro Martinez and Jurrien Timber at centre-back.

With Tagliafico starting just two Eredivisie games this season, convincing him to join Chelsea shouldn't be an issue, and he'd perfectly fill the role of first choice for six months, before taking a place on the bench once Chilwell is fully fit - it's the perfect solution.

Not only is Tagliafico an experienced Champions League player, having been part of the Ajax squad that reached the semi-finals in 2019, he's also won 36 caps for Argentina, so he's been around the block.

A reliable performer in The Netherlands, Tagliafico was linked with Chelsea in 2020, but Frank Lampard opted to sign Chilwell instead. Even so, he's a player the club know plenty about.

He'd be a nice stopgap while Chilwell sits on the treatment table, and considering Sergino Dest was sold by Ajax to Barcelona for a modest fee last year, Tagliafico wouldn't cost much at all.

The Rogue Option - Sergio Gomez

While Hernandez would provide Chelsea with a world-class left-back, and Tagliafico and Digne would be solid options as Chilwell recovers, the Blues could do something slightly more outside the box, and go for Anderlecht's Spanish left-back Sergio Gomez.

He hasn't been linked with a move away from the Jupiler Pro League yet, but his form this season means it won't be long before he's tipped for a big move.

2021 has been his breakout year, but 2022 will be when he explodes.

So far this season, Gomez has scored five and assisted 10 in just 21 league games as Anderlecht sit third in the table.

To pair along with that visible output, Gomez is producing 2.0 key passes P90, which is more than Tagliafico (0.9), Hernandez (1.3), and Digne (1.7) can boast.

His bursting sprints forward, in order to overlap his winger, are simply extraordinary, and he's a truly brilliant crosser. While many skills don't translate particularly well from a lesser league to the Premier League, the art of crossing is one that does, and Gomez is already a master of it aged 21.

He could be a fascinating option for any Premier League club willing to take a gamble, and Chelsea could be that club if they think outside the box.