Enzo Maresca has clearly spelled out that Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell isn’t in his plans moving forward, which has received an interesting reaction from the club’s supporters.
Ben Chilwell, 27, is a high-profile left-back who’s been on Chelsea’s books since 2020. However, it now sounds like he could be on the move during what’s left of the summer transfer window.
TalkSPORT claimed this week that Chilwell is frustrated and weighing up his future. This comes after a pre-season where he’s barely featured since the change of management.
Blues head coach Enzo Maresca has been very open with his assessment of the English full-back this summer. First of all, Maresca admitted he’s struggling to find a spot for Chilwell, as quoted by Football.London in July.
The Italian manager has now gone one step further with his comments this week, though.
What Enzo Maresca has said about Ben Chilwell
Now, Maresca has openly admitted that it may be best if Chilwell leaves this summer to go play his football elsewhere.
“Chilly [Chilwell] is with us but he has not been training for the last few days because he has been ill,” Maresca said, as quoted by The Telegraph.
“The reason he did not play versus Inter was because, with Chilly it is quite clear, even though I love the way he is, the problem is, he is struggling a bit to find the right position.
“This morning we had 22 players training and if you ask all of them they will say they want to play against City on Sunday. But that is impossible. When you train every day and do not get any minutes it is not good for them or for me.
“I need to make a decision and probably it is better to leave and go and get minutes. The transfer window is open so we’ll see what happens.”
Despite the fact Chilwell won the Champions League with Chelsea and was named their vice-captain last season, it looks like his time in West London may be coming to an end. You’d guess there will be many suitors for an individual with a lot of talent as an out-and-out left-back.
Chelsea fans react to Enzo Maresca’s comments
Many Chelsea supporters on social media have come out with high praise for Maresca because of the way he’s publicly addressed Chilwell’s situation.
Here are some Blues fans on X that love Maresca’s honesty regarding Chilwell’s future:
One fan said: “I love the brutal honesty from Maresca. We all knew Chilwell doesn’t fit Maresca’s style and now he’s publicly stated that Chilwell needs to leave. Time to pack up the bags and find a new club Ben Chilwell. Thank you for your service.”
Another wrote: “I like how Maresca handled the Chilwell situasion. Its a shame cause he used to be an important player for us but not so much anymore after the injuries. At least he’s honest about it and found the best solution for both parties.”
A third user posted: “We can all agree or disagree with Maresca’s opinion of Chilwell (for the record – I disagree), but at least the manager is being brutally honest.”
One supporter claimed: “Maresca saying it’s best for Chilwell to go and find minutes elsewhere is very blunt but it’s the respectful thing to do. No point letting Chilwell waste some years of his career on the bench.”
Another shared: “Jokes apart, Enzo Maresca’s done the best thing for both Ben Chilwell and Chelsea Football Club. It’s no secret that he’s not in Enzo Maresca’s plan, so there’s no use for him waiting around. Besides, it was about time for his departure as he’s been declining for a while now.”
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