Chelsea must forget about Juventus’ pursuits and fight to retain this 25-year-old breakout star at all costs

Why Chelsea need to keep Emerson Palmieri despite Juventus interest

Frank Lampard should be reasonably pleased with his Chelsea side after eight Premier League games.

There have been more positives than negatives, and they lie just outside the Champions League spots on goal difference.

The Blues have shown that they can battle the big boys, even when fielding several young players.

Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have been excellent this season, and youth seems to be the ethos under Lampard.

Part of the reason to keep playing young players is the transfer ban, but things do look bright at Stamford Bridge.

However, quality performances attract attention from other clubs, and Juventus are interested in a January swoop for Emerson Palmieri (h/t Sun).

The Italian was able to replace Marcos Alonso in the starting XI and hasn’t looked back. The 25-year-old has been out of action since the loss to Liverpool, but Chelsea need to keep hold of the defender.

One of the best in the league

The Italian struggled to break into the first-team and replace Alonso, but the Spaniard’s dip in form opened the door for Palmieri.

The 25-year-old has been excellent for Chelsea since he became the No.1 and is one of the best attacking left-backs in the league.

The youngster manages 1.2 shots per game, which is the highest compared to other attacking left-backs such as Andrew Robertson, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben Chilwell.

Palmieri has also been adjudged as the man-of-the-match once and has the highest WhoScored rating amongst the four mentioned defenders.

The 25-year-old has more tackles per 90 minutes and more interceptions than Robertson, Zinchenko and Chilwell too.

Chelsea would find it difficult to find a replacement on the cheap and losing him in the January window will throw a spanner into Lampard’s system at the club.

The 25-year-old fits well into the current scheme of things at Stamford Bridge, and hopefully, he returns to action for the Blues soon.

The Italian has worked hard to break into the Chelsea team, and the Blues will improve further under Lampard.

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The manager has tried different formations too, and Emerson can play as a wing-back too, which is great for the side.

Verdict

Emerson has turned his career around at Chelsea, and the Blues need to keep him.

Juventus might guarantee trophies, but the Blues are on the up and can achieve great things under Lampard.