Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has a problem to solve at Stamford Bridge amid Ben Chilwell’s worrying injury.
The left-back hobbled off the pitch in the 4-0 victory against Juventus on Tuesday evening and appeared to be in some pain.
The Blues are yet to comment on the severity of the injury, with Tuchel confirming that Chilwell was set to undergo further tests after the game.
However, worrying reports on Wednesday suggested that there are concerns over Chilwell’s long-term availability and that he could potentially miss the rest of the 2021/22 campaign.
Should that be the case, the Blues have back-up to use in the position in the form of Spanish defender Marcos Alonso, whilst Atletico Madrid loanee Saul Niguez can also deputise at left-back.
Despite that, there have been some calls for the Blues to recall Italian defender Emerson Palmieri from Lyon in order to bolster their options.
The former AS Roma man joined the French outfit on a season-long loan deal in the summer shortly after penning a new Chelsea deal and he is set to stay in Ligue 1 until the end of the campaign.
As per Lyon’s initial announcement of the deal, they hold a match-up clause - otherwise known as first refusal - on any potential permanent deal until the end of the 2022 summer transfer window.
Unfortunately, there appears to be no mention of any possible recall or break clause in the loan deal and without one, that would see Chelsea frustrated in their attempts to bring Emerson back to Stamford Bridge even if they wanted to.
Since joining Lyon, the 27-year-old left-back has made 14 appearances in all competitions for the club. He netted his first goal for the French outfit in a 3-1 win over Troyes back in September.
The defender will be hoping to remain in the starting XI as Lyon face Brondby in matchday five of the Europa League group stages on Thursday evening.
