Chelsea are in the heart of an injury crisis, and manager Thomas Tuchel could be tempted to turn recall those of his squad that are out on loan to cope.
The German boss was furious earlier this week after his side drew 1-1 at home with Brighton and Hove Albion, pointing the finger at the busy fixture list as the reason for his side's lacklustre performance.
Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Reece James, Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all picked up injuries recently, whilst other members of the squad have been absent due to contracting Covid.
But who could Tuchel look to recall in order to deal with his team selection woes?
Emerson Palmieri
With Chilwell and James, who played on the left on Wednesday, it’s only logical for the ex-PSG boss to look at bringing back a left-back.
Marcos Alonso thrived as a left-wing back under Antonio Conte, but Tuchel may look to Italian defender Emerson to provide cover.
The 27-year-old has made 15 appearances for Lyon so far this season, scoring and assisting once, and looks likely to add to his 33 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
Speaking about the prospect of Emerson returning, Tuchel said: “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.”
Ian Maatsen
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With Emerson obviously being considered, Tuchel could also be looking at bringing the more attacking-minded fullback of Ian Maatsen back to Stamford Bridge.
The 19-year-old has never made a league appearance for Chelsea but is benefiting from the regular game time he is having at Coventry City in the Championship.
Maatsen has been playing as the left-wing back for the Sky Blues in a 3-4-3, a similar setup to Tuchel’s Chelsea team.
If the manager has one eye on the future then this could be a great opportunity to integrate the academy product into the first team ready for the seasons to come.
Conor Gallagher
The most discussed possible loanee return this season has been Conor Gallagher, who has been superb for Crystal Palace so far this campaign.
The Englishman has scored six goals and assisted three in 17 appearances for the Eagles, and those figures don’t tell the whole story about his influence due to his great work off of the ball and linking up play.
Gallagher’s good form at Selhurst Park earned him an England debut and plenty has been made of the impact he could make working under Tuchel.
Although the 21-year-old won’t solve Chelsea’s defensive issues, he will provide something different in the centre of midfield – where previously the second-placed side have struggled with injuries.
Dujon Sterling
With James now sidelines with a hamstring problem, the Blues are without a pacey, energetic option in right wing-back – considering Cesar Azpilicueta is the likeliest replacement as it stands.
Another academy graduate who could be given the chance to show his worth is Dujon Sterling, who is currently on loan at Blackpool.
The 22-year-old has only made nine appearances for the Championship outfit and hasn’t really set the league alight there, but he could provide a fair level of cover in right wing-back.
Michy Batshuayi
Romelu Lukaku revealing to Sky Italia that he is unhappy at Chelsea and never wanted to leave Inter Milan in the summer has raised serious questions about the Belgian.
It remains to be seen how Tuchel deals with his £97.5m-summer signing after the comments, but if he chooses to freeze the target man out of the squad until the matter is sorted then he could look to bring back Michy Batshuayi from his loan at Besiktas.
The 28-year-old has scored six goals and assisted three in the Super Lig but also has the know-how of the Premier League and could be a good short-term replacement for Lukaku until he gets his head straight.
Of course, Timo Werner is also an option as a no.9 but he has always been better as a winger playing off of the target man.
