- Chilwell currently Chelsea's vice-captain but has struggled with injuries
- Enzo Maresca has rarely used England international during pre-season
- Brutal press conference remark suggests Chilwell's Chelsea career is over
Enzo Maresca has publicly told Chelsea vice-captain Ben Chilwell it would be best if he leaves the club before the transfer window closes.
The 27-year-old was restricted to just 21 appearances in all competitions last season and missed out on selection for England's Euro 2024 squad after struggling to overcome a series of knee injuries.
Chilwell also missed three months of last season because of a hamstring injury, meaning he has played just 70 Premier League games for Chelsea since joining from Leicester City in August 2020 for £50m.
He was appointed as Chelsea's vice-captain last summer, by now departed manager Mauricio Pochettino, and has had a limited pre-season under Maresca, who will be able to call on Marc Cucurella and Levi Colwill at left-back.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea's opening day clash with champions Manchester City, Maresca indicated that Chilwell has no future at the club and suggested that it would be better for him to leave west London for pastures new.
“Chilly [Chilwell] is with us but he has not been training for the last few days because he has been ill,” Maresca said. “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.
Tune in to 90min's YouTube channel as Jacob Culshaw hosts Scott Saunders, Kweku Afari and Dan Childs to preview Chelsea's 2024/25 season under Enzo Maresca.
“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.”
Chelsea's bloated squad has been scrutinised all summer, with further additions made despite having an abundance of options in almost every position. That's meant a number of players - including Romelu Lukaku, Armando Broja, Trevoh Chalobah - have been told to train away from the first-team squad, knowing they have no future at Stamford Bridge.
"We spent 20 days in America with 28 or 29 players, so it was quite good to manage the squad," Maresca added. “Now we have guys who are not part of the squad and are training apart.
"At the moment, it is not difficult, but if I start to think I have 43 players, it’s not good."
