Enzo Maresca confirmed that Ben Chilwell can leave Chelsea during the summer transfer window as he does not fit into the new head coach’s system.
Maresca prefers to use inverted full-backs, which suits the qualities of Marc Cucurella, while the right-footed Malo Gusto was also tested as a left-back in pre-season, while Chilwell was rarely used.
The 27-year-old remained on the bench in Chelsea’s final pre-season friendly against Inter Milan on Sunday and The athlete He is reportedly a hot candidate for a sale – although his salary and price could be an obstacle to a sale.
“Chilly is with us, but he hasn’t trained in the last few days because he was sick,” said Maresca.
“The reason he didn’t play against Inter was because it’s clear that with Chilly, even though I like him so much, he has a little trouble finding the right position.
“This morning we trained 22 players and if you ask them all they will say they want to play against City on Sunday. But that’s impossible. If you train every day and don’t get any playing time, it’s not good for them or for me.
“I have to make a decision and it’s probably better to leave and get playing time. The transfer window is open so we’ll see what happens.”
Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester in the summer of 2020 and was named vice-captain by Maresca’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino last season.
However, due to a thigh injury, he missed three months of the season and was only able to make 13 Premier League appearances. The defender was subsequently not called up to England’s European Championship team by Gareth Southgate.
Chilwell made 106 appearances in his four years at Chelsea and was part of the team that won the Champions League in 2021.
Chelsea will begin their 2024–25 Premier League season against Manchester City on Sunday.
GO DEEPER
The briefing: Chelsea 1 – Inter Milan 1 – Is this Maresca’s plan for City? What now for Chilwell?
(Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
Chelsea
