After a year mixed with animosity and joy, Chelsea are looking for yet another manager. The exit of Mauricio Sarri may or may not be right, however, that is the past, and Chelsea must look to hold on to their star players with a transfer ban still in force.
According to the Times, after his move to Juventus, Sarri has made midfielder Jorginho and left-back Emerson Palmeri two of his top targets. Chelsea cannot allow either of these players to leave Stamford Bridge, as they remain key players for the next manager with a transfer ban yet to be overturned for this summer’s window.
Despite his limitations in defensive midfield in comparison to N’golo Kante, Jorginho remains Chelsea chief creator. The Italian international completed more passes per game than any other Chelsea player last season, showing how key he was to Sarri’s style of play. With reports that Frank Lampard is set to take the Chelsea job, the Englishman would do well to keep Jorginho, especially given the fact he implemented a similar possession-based style of play in his first season with Derby County last season.
At left-back, Emerson remains heads and shoulders above rival Marcos Alonso, who had a car crash of a season last year. Emerson had a good end to the season as he started the Europa League final ahead of Alonso. The Brazilian-born Italian international had a pass percentage of 89%, which was four percent more than Alonso last season, who clearly struggled to meet the demands of Sarri’s style of play.
As well as the attacking side of the game, Alonso endured a nightmare season defensively, including the FA Cup fifth round game versus Manchester United, where the club was defeated 2-0. Alonso was at fault for both goals, with Ander Herrera pulling off him to head in the first, and Marcus Rashford beating him down his wing too easily to cross in the second.
It seems likely that Lampard will be appointed the new Chelsea manager, with speculation rife in many of the UK’s media outlets. He needs to retain the services of Jorginho and Emerson, who remain key players for Chelsea, with zero options available to replace them, especially with no transfer window.
