Two Chelsea players who had been sidelined are now set to rejoin the first-team squad, despite Enzo Maresca previously stating that they wouldn’t see any playing time.
Towards the end of the summer transfer window, the Chelsea manager excluded several players from training, making it clear they were not part of his plans for Stamford Bridge.
Young midfielders Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei were also put on the transfer list, with Chukwuemeka listed just a year after his £20m move from Aston Villa.
There was significant interest in Chukwuemeka from clubs like Manchester United and Crystal Palace, with Chelsea considering loaning him out. However, neither he nor Casadei secured a transfer before the UK window closed last Friday.
Although they could still move to countries with open transfer windows like Turkey or Belgium, The Athletic reports that the pair will stay at Chelsea and be reintegrated into Maresca’s squad.
The decision to keep Casadei came after Lesley Ugochukwu was loaned to Southampton, and Casadei even returned to the bench for last Sunday’s draw with Palace.
However, it seems unlikely that Casadei will get much playing time, and the same goes for Chukwuemeka, who has yet to be included in a matchday squad this season.
Maresca suggested that the 20-year-old needed to leave Chelsea in order to play, saying: ‘Carney, I think he is a very good player. With us, is he going to play 35 games? I’m not sure.
‘The problem is, because of some injuries in the past, I think the best for him is to play 30 or 35 games in a row, to show himself that he is fit and how good he is because he is very good.’
While the midfielders may still have an opportunity to feature for Chelsea, the situation is different for Ben Chilwell and David Datro Fofana.
Both the left-back and the striker were connected to various Premier League clubs, but they remain at Chelsea. Now, the club is working to send them abroad.
According to The Times, Chilwell is expected to join a Turkish club on loan, which would help Chelsea offload his £200,000-a-week wage. Meanwhile, Fofana is reportedly close to a move to Greek side AEK Athens.
