Italian giants Inter Milan are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea´s left-back Emerson Palmieri. The Nerazzurri are ready to offer around €22 million, plus bonuses for Emerson. Chelsea are expected to demand a larger fee for the 25-year-old, who has a contract until 2022.
The prospect of playing under coach Frank Lampard is currently slim. The 25-year-old has not been considered in the Premier League since the end of January this year. Emerson would consider the move because he is not a guaranteed starter at Chelsea and wants the best chance of being Italy’s first choice at next summer’s European Championship.
Inter coach Antonio Conte, previously Emersons trainer at Chelsea, still sees the defender as a potential reinforcement. Some weeks ago, Inter already signed Achraf Hakimi, who plays predominantly as right wing-back. Juventus are also interested in Emerson, whose prospects at Chelsea are set to be hindered further by the acquisition of a left-back.
In this scout report, we take a closer look at Emersons playing style. In the tactical analysis, we will also figure out how Emerson will fit into Conte´s tactics at Inter.
Role in the system at Chelsea
The Blues primarily set up in a 4-3-3. In possession, Chelsea build from the back patiently and methodically, which Jorginho or Billy Gilmour sitting just ahead of the centre-backs to form a compact passing triangle to circulate possession and invite the opposition to press high. Simultaneously, striker Tammy Abraham will look to push up in order to stretch the opposition defence and pin them back. By doing this, Chelsea encourage the opposition’s attacking and defensive lines to move in opposite directions, allowing space to open up in the middle of the pitch for Chelsea’s wide attackers and more advanced central midfielders to exploit. Once such space is created, Chelsea play quicker and more vertically. The full-backs push up whilst the wingers tuck inside and the advanced midfielders move into the half-spaces, enabling passing triangles to form that allows the team to move the ball forward effectively. In this tactic, Emerson plays an important role as a full-back. He is responsible for runs to provide depth and width on the pitch.
However, after a particularly good start into the 2019/20 campaign, Lampard did not use Emerson as his starting full-back anymore. Since January, he played no single match in the Premier League and only got playing minutes against Leicester City in the FA Cup. In the last six Premier League matches, Emerson was not even in the matchday squad. That is the reason why he wants to move in summer.
Role in the system at Inter
Inters team is set up in a 3-5-2 with a single pivot and two wing-backs. Here, the two wing-backs are maybe the most important players as they move between the backline and midfield line in transitions and therefore, play a very important role in Contes tactics.
