As soon as it was announced that Ben Chilwell would miss the rest of the season, Chelsea activated a few avenues to bolster the left-back position.
Theo Hernandez and Lucas Digne are two of the names reportedly on Thomas Tuchel’s wishlist, but a simpler alternative was first looked at.
That was the return of Emerson Palmieri, as the Italy international was sent on loan to Lyon for the season, but it appears the Ligue 1 side weren’t interested in losing the player in January.
This is according to L’Equipe, who reveal that Lyon ‘recently refused the return’ of the defender to Chelsea, who wanted to recover their man following the Chilwell injury.
Since joining the French club, Emerson Palmieri has been the first choice left-back under Peter Boss, making 18 appearances in all competitions so far, with more to seemingly come during the second half of the campaign, both in Ligue 1 and in the Europa League.
Lyon topped a group comprised of Sparta Prague, Brondby and Rangers, with the defender featuring in the first three games before being rested for the final three.
