“He was ready to leave” - Enzo Maresca offers Chelsea lifeline to 27-year-old star following failed summer exit
Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Ben Chilwell is back in the Chelsea first-team training. He admitted that the left-back was interested in leaving, but the situation has now changed.
Speaking to the media, Maresca stated that Chilwell was training well but not ready to play just yet. He added that the situation will be assessed ahead of every game:
"Ben is one of the guys who was ready to leave, but he's here and he's training with us. He's training well. He's our player. The situation with him was very clear, but now the situation has changed a little bit. Game after game we are going to consider in case we are going to use him."
Earlier this summer, Maresca stated that he was not brutal to keep Chilwell and Sterling out of the Chelsea squad:
"Brutal? I don't think so. I try to be honest. I can repeat again if it's not clear: I spoke with Raheem before the City game. I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is the reason why he is out of the squad.
"With Chilly, I said he is a lovely guy, but he is going to struggle because of his position. He is going to struggle. If you define this as brutal, it's up to you to decide. For me, it's not brutal, it's just honest."
Raheem Sterling went on to join Arsenal on loan for the season. Ben Chilwell was unable to find a club to join despite reported interest from several sides in and outside of England.
Ben Chilwell will struggle for minutes, says Chelsea manager
Enzo Maresca has already made it clear to Ben Chilwell that he will struggle for minutes at Chelsea. The manager stated that it was better for the former Leicester City man to leave:
“When you train every day and not get any minutes, it is not good for them or for me, and I need to make a decision. Probably, it is better to leave and go and get minutes. The transfer window is open, so we will see what will happen.”
Chilwell currently remains Chelsea's third choice at left back with Marc Cucurella getting the nod in the first team. Renato Veiga has been used as the backup option when needed.