When it came to light that Ben Chilwell would be out for the rest of the season, Chelsea went on a desperate hunt to find a left-back.
Among their options was to try and convince Lyon to let Emerson Palmieri return to Stamford Bridge, after the Italy international was sent to the Ligue 1 side on loan after the Euros for the current campaign.
The French club, who had a choice in the matter, refused, especially since Peter Bosz likes what the defender has to offer, and there was no desire from their end to lose a player who had become quite important for them.
Chelsea eventually made Kenedy come back from his temporary spell in Brazil instead, but have used him just once in the FA Cup fifth round against Luton earlier this month.
These attempts by the Premier League side filled column inches for a while, but few paid attention to the effect this was having on the Blues loanee himself, who explained the situation in an interview to So Foot.
He said: “It was hard, because on one side, I’m still under contract at Chelsea, but at the same time, my promise this summer was to have signed with Lyon for a year. In the end, I didn’t have a say in it, because it’s something that is sorted between clubs. They talked between themselves, Lyon said no. Now, we move forward and that suits me.”
He then added: “When it all started, I didn’t really believe in it. I told myself it was something false from the papers, but then I understood it was true, and I spent 10 days where all that was talked about was that. During that time, we were playing important games in Ligue 1 and every day, when I got him, my family were asking me if we were packing our suitcases.
“I kept answering that I didn’t know and I wasn’t the one who decided, but I think, in the end, the way it panned out was the best thing to happen to me, and I must only keep the positive from this episode, which was to see Lyon say no to Chelsea and fight to keep me, but also to see Chelsea wanting me to come back. The stances of both clubs pleased me, because it means that I’m doing a good job here.”
Since joining Lyon, the 27-year-old has made 25 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scoring one goal and picking up two assists along the way.
