Emerson Palmieri signs for Chelsea today as Chelsea complete their second signing of the window. The Brazilian-Italian left-back was one of the hottest prospects in Europe prior to a knee injury last season. Emerson was born in Santos, Brazil and represented the Selecao at youth levels. After impressing with Roma, Emerson was called up by Giampero Ventura and filed for his one time nation switch to represent Italy. The fee is approximately £20 million.

Emerson will provide depth behind freekick specialist Marcos Alonso, eventually challenging to start. Kenedy, the previous back up, has joined Newcastle on loan. Injury returnee Baba Rahman has also departed on loan to Schalke. Emerson is extremely well rounded. He is capable of slotting in at left wing back or into a back four. He is a terrific passer of the ball and offers more than Alonso in terms of playing into midfield.

Emerson Palmieri Signs

Left wing back is a position of need in the Chelsea squad. Antonio Conte clearly does not trust Kenedy for rotation. The Brazilian has only featured in cup competitions. However, this is not sustainable. Alonso looks dead on his feet. He is routinely torn apart defensively by pace. However Emerson addresses almost all of those issues, with little of the downside of other options.

Emerson, Roma 16-17. This is stupidly good and rare for a young fullback. I flagged him as a potential City target a couple weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/XEvhkqVukc — On Holiday (@mixedknuts) January 3, 2017

The newly minted Italian is a strong crosser of the ball and offers the ability to transition from defence to attack the dribble. His pace helps in transition, both on the counter attack and when being counter attacked. However, the biggest boon from Emerson is his passing ability. Marcos Alonso regularly struggles to play into feet to trigger combination player inside. Meanwhile, Emerson is an elite passer from wing back. 1.5 key passes a game should free up Hazard, especially as Chelsea switch back to the 3-4-3. Couple the attacking benefits with his aerial ability, a routine concern with more technical alternatives, and Emerson is a legitimately talented signing.

Aubameyang, Batshuayi, Giroud Merry Go Round?

The sister deal with Emerson appeared to be a Dzeko Batshuayi part swap deal. With the swap deal of Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez going through, it seems that they do actually happen. The reported finances of the Chelsea-Roma deal were rumoured to be a £45 million base fee for both Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri with £8 million in bonuses. The other constituent of the deal was Michy Batshuayi heading the other way on loan.

However, it appears that Chelsea were unwilling to budge on Dzeko’s contract demands, and the Bosnian will remain in Rome. Given Chelsea’s desire for a target man, it looks like they will pursue Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud. It is rare that Chelsea sign players with little resale value. But given Giroud’s career without pace, he should be able to maintain his level for a few years yet. Add in his experience, Giroud could be a terrific mentor to some of the younger players at the club. Batshuayi now looks likely to head to Dortmund, making way for Aubameyang to Arsenal, and Giroud to remain in London. Transfer window’s, crazy aren’t they?

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