Back in August, Chelsea signed Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in a deal worth £20m after a disagreement with Steven Gerrard.
According to Sky Sports, the 19-year-old decided not to sign a new contract at Villa Park as he was keen to receive regular first-team football, something he didn’t get in the Midlands.
Gerrard handed Chukwuemeka just one Premier League start, while also leaving him out of the pre-season trip to Australia over the summer, before Chelsea turned his head.
Now – following the appointment of Unai Emery – the teenager may be kicking himself.
Chukwuemeka would thrive under Emery at Aston Villa
In our view, the Spaniard would have given Chukwuemeka exactly what he wanted.
Emery has a strong track record when it comes to working with young prospects, specifically during his time at Arsenal.
The 50-year-old gave debuts to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe, all of whom are now important members of the first-team squad under Mikel Arteta.
Even at Villarreal, the likes of Yeremy Pino and Samuel Chukwueze were thriving on a regular basis despite their lack of experience.
In addition to Saka and Martinelli, Emery’s best work in regards to developing talent came when he promoted Christopher Nkunku to the first-team at PSG.
The Parisians eventually replaced the Frenchman with more expensive talent such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, but Nkunku has since become one of the deadliest forwards in Europe, scoring 35 goals last season.
With all of the above taken into consideration, we believe Emery would have had no hesitation in giving Chukwuemeka regular first-team football.
Chukwuemeka struggling away from Aston Villa
If first-team football is what Chukwuemeka wanted, we aren’t quite sure why he went to Chelsea.
The Eisenstadt-born maestro has played just 43 minutes of Premier League action across three appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge, and in hindsight, he would’ve received far more action at Aston Villa.
Hopefully, Graham Potter gives Chukwuemeka some starts in the Premier League soon, as it would be a crying shame to see such a huge talent go to waste.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
