Chelsea were hoping to solve our left back conundrum with a January recall of loanee Emerson Palmieri, but despite Thomas Tuchel talking him up in glowing terms, the 27-year-old’s heart and loyalties remained firmly with Olympique Lyonnais.

And as he recently revealed to the club’s in-house media, that loyalty is very personal indeed, to club director and club legend Juninho.

“Juninho was very important for my arrival, I was in negotiations with other clubs. He called me, we had a very direct discussion and it touched my heart. He convinced me in 2 days. I thank him for his help, I will never forget him.”