Photo: Chelsea FC

Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri has been hailed as the best January signing by well-respected Italian agent Federico Pastorello.

The 23-year-old left-back joined Chelsea as competition for Marcos Alonso.

“Best January signing? Emerson Palmieri at Chelsea, and I’m not just saying that because I was involved in the deal,” Pastorello said as quoted on The Sun.

“You’ll see, he’ll be a beautiful surprise for the Blues.”