December 23rd 2024.
Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, has recently made it clear that he has no interest in playing one of the star players, whose future with the club looks bleak. Despite the team's impressive performance so far this season, with a second place rank in the Premier League and only four points behind Liverpool, there seems to be some tension within the team. While Maresca maintains that they are not in the title race, others believe that with a couple of key signings, they could be top contenders.
As the January transfer window approaches, it is expected that some players will leave Stamford Bridge. This is due to a combination of players feeling fed up with being left on the sidelines and the club needing to raise funds after spending over £1billion on transfers in the past two and a half years. Two players who are likely to depart are Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka. Maresca has recently stated that he anticipates them wanting to leave, as they have been exiled from the first-team.
Chilwell, who was informed by Maresca last summer that he was no longer needed, has only played 45 minutes of football this season in the Carabao Cup win over Barrow. Despite being linked with several clubs in Europe, he was unable to secure a move in the last transfer window. It seems that he will finally leave when the window re-opens next month. However, there has been no interest in the 28-year-old defender, according to The Sun. The main issue is his hefty salary of £200,000-a-week, which makes him one of the highest earners at Chelsea. This has put off potential suitors such as Manchester United, Napoli, and West Ham, who have also expressed concerns about his fitness.
Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester in 2020 for a whopping £50million transfer fee. Despite winning the Champions League in his first season, his career has been plagued by injuries. He has missed a staggering 107 games for club and country since his move. When asked about Chilwell's future, Maresca stated that there are players who haven't had much playing time and may want to leave as a result. Chilwell and Carney fall into this category, as they train regularly and have a strong desire to play. Maresca acknowledges that each player's situation is different, and he will work towards finding a solution for those who want to leave.
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