XABI ALONSO refused to sanction a deadline day transfer exit for a star yet to make his competitive Chelsea debut.
The Spanish tactician enjoyed a busy window, with several major exits and additions leaving the Blues in a stronger position than they were in a few weeks ago.
And among the stars who the boss elected to keep around the club for the upcoming season is new arrival Emmanuel Emegha.
The towering forward, 23, joined on a £21million deal this summer from sister club Strasbourg, having agreed his transfer deal last year.
The Dutchman’s recent arrival did not stop a number of teams expressing their interest in signing him on a late loan deal, according to Voetbal International.
But they claim that a departure for the star was “out of the question” in the eyes of the new Blues boss.
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That is slightly surprising news given that Emegha did not feature in either of Chelsea‘s Premier League match-day squads so far this season.
But it seems that Alonso does have some ambitions for the star this campaign.
Emegha faced stiff competition in his position heading into the season, with Chelsea having nine senior forward options at one point in the summer.
The departures of Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Dastan Satpayev, and Marc Guiu all helped to cut down the mess of players competing for a start at Stamford Bridge.
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Friday 4 September
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12:30
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15:00
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But Emegha has still found it hard to break into the team alongside the talents of Joao Pedro and summer signing Danny Welbeck.
Even the cup competitions have so far offered little reprieve for the 6 ft 5in attacker, who was only an unused substitute in his side’s Carabao Cup test against Luton Town.