Chelsea loanee Emerson Palmieri speaks about Olympique Lyon and his future
In conversation with Footmercato as quoted by Football.London, Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri opens up about his stint with Olympique Lyon and what the future holds for him.
The Italian defender has struggled for game time with the Blues in the last few seasons. The Arrival of Ben Chilwell has seen him go further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. The West Londoners did attempt to cut short his loan spell after the English wing-back suffered a long-term injury.
That attempt was rebuffed and the club then recalled Kenedy to add suitable depth to the wing-back positions. Palmieri has been a constant presence for the French club, making 33 appearances, scoring one goal, and providing two assists across all competitions this season.
Conversing with Footmercato (h/t Football.London), the Santos-born defender highlighted that he was enjoying his time at Lyon. He didn’t give any concrete answers about the future and played his cards close to his chest.
“Of course, yes, I have no problem saying that I can stay at OL [Olympique Lyon]. It’s a pleasure to be here. There are different factors. It doesn’t just depend on me. There are still six games to play, and then I will have an answer to give you all.”
Will Palmieri stay at Chelsea in the long term?
At 27, Palmieri is possibly headed into his prime years as a player. He would thus be looking for more regular minutes should he have a decent chance of making it for the national squad. That may be a tough ask at the London-based club considering the kind of option that we possess on the left flank.
As such a move away from the club could also be a decent option should a lucrative offer be tabled for his services. With Chilwell being sidelined due to a serious injury and Marcos Alonso in his 30s, the Italian wing-back could still manage to pave his way back into the squad.
Even though Palmieri just made these comments in passing, we should be alert to the possibility of anything happening. It is also understood that Juventus were interested in his services not so long ago and it could be interesting to see what happens with these rumours.
Right now the club is already in a precarious situation with several first-team defenders like Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and Cesar Azpilicueta on the cusp of leaving Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. The club should hence take all of these factors into account before deciding on anything regarding the Italian defender.
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Emerson Palmieri has stated that he is enjoying his time with Les Gones at the moment, also highlighting that he is solely focused on doing his best in the remaining games. Only the future can predict what lies ahead for the 27-year-old defender, but we hope that this spell can help reignite his form and confidence.