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Chelsea have now frozen out player who Enzo Maresca really rates

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Chelsea’s ownership team have made it clear that they are not afraid to make some tough calls with some of their more popular players if needs be.

This was shown over the summer when they dealt with Conor Gallagher’s contract situation, with him seemingly excluded from first team activities.

He eventually secured his move to Atletico Madrid, and Gallagher has already been awarded Player of the Month by the club for his performances.

Essentially, Todd Boehly and Co are keen for players not to enter the last years of their contract at the club without signing a new deal, after joining and seeing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen depart for free.

It seems the latest player who is in danger of doing this is Josh Acheampong, who has made sporadic appearances off the bench this season.

Chelsea v Barrow - Carabao Cup Third Round
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Chelsea freeze out Josh Acheampong

Enzo Maresca has tipped Acheampong for big things in the game, and he is arguably the youngster who has been given the biggest opportunity under the Italian so far.

However, his immediate future on the pitch has now been put on hold. According to The Athletic, the youngster has been told he will not feature for the first team or development squad until he signs a new deal.

Who could sign Acheampong?

It has been reported that a number of top clubs are interested in signing the highly-rated defender. Real Madrid are one of the sides keen on Acheampong.

It would no doubt feel like a big loss to the Blues if he was to move on, with him already showing signs in senior games that he is close to having the ability to feature.

It would also be another blow to the academy system at Chelsea, who are already losing confidence in their players having a clear pathway to the first team setup.

This is largely down to the magnitude of players they have signed from around the world with the intention of reaching the first team somewhere down the line.