Chelsea will regret not signing Lucas Digne after embarrassingly failing to recall their own on loan player

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Chelsea have had a bit of a nightmare so far during this transfer window, failing to address the urgent issues the squad has come across at left wing-back.

Ben Chilwell was the unfortunate recipient of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament at the end of November, and despite Chelsea having a month prior to the January transfer window to identify an ideal target to replace him, they have failed to do so.

However, perhaps most embarrassing about the window is that Chelsea have failed to recall one of their own on loan players in the form of Emerson Palmieri, and have therefore landed themselves in hot water over who they can acquire to play the position until the summer.

According to Goal‘s report on the matter, Chelsea failed to include a recall clause in the loan deal for Emerson which took the Italian to French side Lyon in the summer.

Emerson Palmieri celebrates after winning Euro 2020 with Italy.

Chelsea even offered a compensation package of £4m to bring him back this month, an offer that was flat out refused by the Ligue 1 side.

What’s more is The Blues chose not to pursue a deal for then Everton outcast Lucas Digne, who would have been the ideal replacement and upgrade for Chilwell and Marcos Alonso respectively in a deal that would have undercut the Frenchman’s market value somewhat.

Digne has since moved to Aston Villa, and after one game against Manchester United has already showed what Chelsea have missed out on as he bossed the left side of the pitch throughout the whole game.

While Chilwell is no doubt the club’s future in the position, making it understandable that they don’t want to hinder his long-term development. But Digne is arguably a better player than Chilwell currently and is certainly better than Alonso or Emerson.

The 28-year-old could have allowed Chelsea to play as if they were not missing Chilwell for the rest of the season and also gone into the next season with two of the best left-sided defenders in the league at their disposal.

But alas, Chelsea chose not to give into Everton’s transfer demands and will suffer the consequences for it should they not find a suitable replacement in the position within the next week and a half.

More Stories Ben Chilwell Emerson Palmieri Lucas Digne Marcos Alonso

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