Enzo Maresca is already facing criticism as Chelsea manager despite the season having just started.
In fact, Rangers legend and talkSPORT pundit Ally McCoist is not happy with something Enzo Maresca said before the new campaign kicked off.
Chelsea lost their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday, falling to a 2-0 defeat.
The club’s critics are already out in force, with Craig Burley not impressed with Nicolas Jackson, making that clear following the game.
Ally McCoist not happy with Enzo Maresca’s handling of Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell failed to make Chelsea’s matchday squad for the City fixture, though that would not have been a surprise to many.
Maresca had already made it clear during pre-season that Chilwell would be better off leaving the club, telling reporters as much, but McCoist thinks he could have done things differently.
In response to Maresca’s comments on Chilwell, McCoist said on talkSPORT: “Even that statement, he needs to look for another club. That’s not the way he should be saying it straight away.
“He’s saying, ‘Well, we don’t fancy Ben’. You know, it might be in Ben’s best interest if he goes and gets another club. There’s a way of saying it. You don’t say he needs to find another club.”
Newcastle United are interested in Chilwell, so St James’ Park could be a potential destination for the left-back this summer.
What exactly has Enzo Maresca said about Ben Chilwell?
Maresca claims he loves Chilwell as a person, but the Chelsea manager has told the Englishman it would be better if he joined another club before the transfer window closes.
“It’s quite clear, I love the way he is but the problem is that he struggles with us a little bit to find his best position,” Maresca told Reuters last week.
He later went on to add: “When they train every day and do not get any minutes, it is not good for them or for me, [as] I need to make a decision. It is probably better to leave and get minutes [elsewhere]. The transfer window is open so we’ll see what happens.”
Marc Cucurella is now Chelsea’s first-choice left-back, starting in the defeat to City, while Renato Veiga looks to be his deputy after coming on for the Spaniard.
If Chilwell remains at Stamford Bridge, then, he is likely to be the team’s third-choice left-back. It is not something you can imagine a £50m England international fancying. Therefore, you would not be surprised to see Chilwell leave west London before the end of the month.
Some will be sad to see the former Leicester City man go after his contribution to the club’s 2021 Champions League triumph, but with Maresca having made up his mind on him, it is probably what is best for Chilwell.
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