“Spalletti is a friend” Emerson reacts to Napoli links

Having left Roma on a €20m deal,

joined Chelsea in 2018. Despite being mainly used as a backup option, the Italian full-back managed to get enough game time during his first two seasons at Chelsea. However, the former Roma star fell out of favor at Stamford Bridge last season, when he featured in only six league games for the London side.

Emerson, who won the Euro 2020 title with Italy, is reportedly determined to keep his place in the national team for the upcoming 2022 World Cup. The Italian full-back is linked with a move away from the Blues ahead of the next season, with Napoli being one of his potential destinations.

“It’s a great pleasure to know about this interest from Napoli,”

Emerson told

ESPN Brazil."It’s a great club, not only in Italy.

“I’m even happier, given how little I played for Chelsea last season. I want to play, to stay on the pitch, I will do everything to play the cards right.

“I have a deal with Chelsea, it’s a great club, I have already shown that I can play here. I would like to be important again for the team, as I have already been.

“I don’t care about the position, I’ve always been at the coach’s disposal, but last year I had little space and I couldn’t choose.”

Emerson worked under

Luciano Spalletti

at Roma. Spalletti, who is now working at Napoli, is reportedly interested in a summer move for the 27-year-old.

 “I will choose what I think is the best option for the future. I still have about 20 days to think about all the possibilities, to choose the right place, where I will feel really desired,”

Emerson added.

“I’m a lad who likes to choose, we are talking about my life. I want to be the architect of my choices, following my feelings and what makes me happy.

“Spalletti at Roma was the coach who gave me the opportunity to get involved. I was 22 or 23 when he told me to ‘go play the first 10 games’, and then another 10, and so on.

“It’s not easy to do this, to have patience with a young lad, in an important place like Roma. Slowly, then, things got better and better. He’s a wise coach, a friend, every now and then we speak, he also wished me happy birthday at the beginning of August.”

The Partenopei secured the signing of Matteo Politano from Inter this summer, which will strengthen their attacking ability on the right-hand side. Spalletti’s side are keen to balance their squad by adding fresh blood to their left-back position ahead of their 2021-22 campaign.

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