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The news that England full-back Ben Chilwell requires knee surgery and could be out of action for the rest of the season is forcing Chelsea into a rethink of their January plans.
Marcos Alonso has been deputising for Chilwell, but with his performances less than convincing, a replacement for Chilwell may need to be found, either internally or externally.
Whilst they may dip into the transfer market to sign somebody new, they are also considering recalling either Emerson Palmeiri or Ian Maatsen, two players who are still contracted to the club but are spending the current campaign out on loan.
27-year-old Palmeiri, who is on loan with Lyon, is the obvious choice as he is an experienced Italian international, whilst Maatsen is a 19-year-old Dutch prospect currently playing for Coventry City in the Championship.
One determining factor may be the terms of their respective loan agreements and whether they include a recall option in such circumstances.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.