Chelsea’s Alex Sandro, Telles, Emerson interest spells the end for Abdul Rahman Baba

Abdul Rahman Baba’s miserable time at Chelsea looks set to deteriorate further, at least if the considerable transfer rumours surrounding the club’s search for a left-back are anything to go by.

The Ghana international is steadily making his comeback after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the beginning of 2017 that ruled him out of contention for the rest of the year.

That setback denied him the opportunity to star on loan at Schalke 04, something that might have persuaded Antonio Conte to give him another chance to establish himself at Stamford Bridge.

Now fit again, the defender might have been hoping to use the January transfer window to again move away on loan—to Germany or a Premier League club lower down the table—in order to reaffirm his quality and rebuild his career.

It wasn’t impossible, either, that Chelsea might opt to keep him around, particularly with no immediate cover for left-back Marcos Alonso, with Cesar Azpilicueta now used exclusively in the centre of the defence.

However, any hopes Baba had of getting an opportunity in London in the short term, or of reintegrating into the Chelsea first team in the long term, appear on the brink of extinction.

The reigning champions have been linked with three left-backs during the ongoing window, with Alex Sandro of Juventus, FC Porto’s Alex Telles and Emerson Palmieri of AS Roma understood to be on the club’s radar.

The first of these three would represent a viable rival for first-choice left-back Marcos Alonso, with the left-back having impressed with Juve, where he’s shared full-back duties with Kwadwo Asamoah.

However, Juve would demand a considerable fee for his services, and while Manchester City broke the bank for full-backs in the last transfer window, would Chelsea be willing to invest so much when Alonso remains a key asset?

Telles has already featured for Galatasaray and Internazionale after moving to European football from Gremio in 2014.

His proclivity for tearing forward into space, either as a full-back or wing-back, would make him an ideal addition to Conte’s system, and he boasts the kind of Champions League experience that Baba cannot match.

On paper, he may appear to be a cheap Alex Sandro alternative—and that’s not far off the mark—but for Baba, he’d represent an ominous acquisition.

Emerson Palmieri is perhaps a more realistic proposition for the Blues, although they reportedly face competition from both Liverpool and Juve for his signature.

Whichever of the trio Chelsea plump for, the rumours only seem to reinforce the fact that it’s time for Baba to seek pastures new.

Both Schalke and AS Monaco have been linked with a move for the wideman, and as we approach the final 10 days of the transfer window, it appears imperative that the defender’s future is settled unless he’s to spend another six months inactive.