Frank Lampard has not made it a secret that he does not like playing either Marcos Alonso or Emerson Palmieri at left-back, with him often deploying Cesar Azpilicueta in an unnatural position in order to cater for the lack of other left-back available.
However, a new target has been highlighted, Atalanta's Robin Gosens, with Chelsea scouts being sent to Bergamo to monitor the player
Gosens is a 25-year-old German left-sided player, who can play at left-back, left midfield and central midfield.
Atalanta have had a very good season so far, sitting fifth in Serie A, whilst also qualifying to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. Atalanta are also the top scorers in Serie A, scoring an incredible 48 goals in just 18 games, and Gosens has had a very big hand in them doing so.
Gosens has played 15 league games, scoring five goals and providing four assists in the process, and whilst he has played most of his matches at left midfield, this is still very impressive considering Gian Piero Gasperini usually makes use of a three-at-the-back formation, and so Gosens has plenty of defensive responsibilities as well as attacking.
Gosens has averaged 1.2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions every Serie A game, which whilst lower than both Marcos Alonso (2.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions) and Emerson (1.8 tackles and 1.3 interceptions), both of them have played less than Gosens. It is also notable that they play in the Premier League, a league that is noticeably much more intense, as well as playing in a position that is much more defensively oriented being standard left-backs rather than wing backs.
This is reflected in Gosens remarkable attacking stats, with him having 1.7 shots every game as well as 1.6 key passes, whilst Alonso has 0.9 shots per game and 1.1 key passes, and Emerson has 0.9 shots per game as well and 1.2 key passes. Apart from this, Emerson has not contributed to a goal in any of his 12 Premier League appearances, whilst Alonso has just one goal and two assists.
Whilst not winning as many aerial duels as Alonso (2.5 every game), Gosens (1.5 every game) has more than Emerson (1.1 every game), and so he might be seen as a perfect blend of a left-back that is both aerially and technically capable.
Gosens is currently valued at around €18m, and he would be a very underrated yet astute signing if Chelsea actually decide to pursue his transfer. Atalanta will surely be profiting, with them getting Gosens from Heracles Almelo back in 2017 for just €1m.
Chelsea might also be tempted to include either Alonso or Emerson in the deal, which would be a very good deal for Atalanta, especially considering both of them have experience of playing in Italy.
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