Ben Chilwell was Frank Lampard’s one and only choice when it came to a new Chelsea left-back.
Names like Sergio Reguilon and Alex Telles were linked, but for the Blues it was only the England international that he wanted to sign.
It was always going to be tough to get the 23-year-old from Leicester City, with the Foxes not willing to let him go for cheap.
The price went down after Brendan Rodgers’s side failed to qualify for the Champions League, but it was still a high price tag for the defence.
Chelsea shelled out £50million for Chilwell, and that raised some eyebrows over whether they overpaid for a full-back.
However, within the space of four days it has proved why Lampard and the Chelsea board to pay whatever they could for a new player in that position.
It started on Saturday when Marcos Alonso was at fault for two of the first-half goals in the 3-3 draw at West Brom.
The Spaniard gave away the ball with a poor header which led to Callum Robinson scoring, before he completely left Kyle Bartley from a corner for the defender to tap home.
The 29-year-old then felt the wrath of Lampard’s anger when Alonso tried to watch the second half on the team bus rather than in the stands when he was substituted at half-term.
Skip forward to Tuesday night and Chilwell made his first start as a Chelsea player, starting at left-back in the Carabao Cup at Tottenham Hotspur.
It was his first start since early July due to a heel injury, so it was always going to be a rusty display and not the full potential that he will bring.
But it was a solid start from him, defensively looking strong and not under too much pressure from Spurs.
However, he was replaced by Emerson Palmieri late on in the game and the Italy international’s lack of tracking back cost the Blues an equaliser.
Emerson was out of position and Erik Lamela was left free to tap home to make it 1-1, with Spurs then going to win on penalties.
They were two games that highlighted why Lampard was desperate for a new left-back this summer, and why he felt Chilwell was the answer.
The question for the Blues is now which one of Emerson or Alonso will be heading out the door before the transfer window shuts on October 5.
It was odds on to be Emerson, however after the dressing down that Lampard gave Alonso, it could be the Spaniard now.
There has been interest in the former, with a return to Italy being the most likely outcome.
But for the Blues, they will feel they have certainly got an upgrade in a key position for Lampard.
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