Two Premier League clubs make January bid for Chelsea outcast

Carlo Garganese

• 17 Sept 2024 09:30 BST
• 4 min read

Two Premier League clubs have come forward to offer Chelsea outcast Ben Chilwell a way out of his Stamford Bridge hell.

Chilwell is currently training away from Chelsea’s first team after the club tried - and failed - to sell him during the summer transfer window.

Although Chilwell has now been included in Chelsea’s Premier League squad list and there are reports he could resume training with the first team, it is widely accepted that his opportunities will be limited and that the Blues will attempt to sell him again in January.

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According to The Sun, Ipswich and Crystal Palace have come forward with proposals for Chilwell and would like to sign him in January.

Chilwell was previously linked with Manchester United, who have been decimated at left back in recent months.

The 27-year-old is not on good terms with Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca after comments made by the Italian last month.

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Maresca’s public comments in which he suggested that Chilwell was not of the quality required to play at left-back infuriated the England star.

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What did Maresca say?

“Chilly is left-back, for sure,” said Maresca. “The Chilly situation is a bit delicate.

“We are trying to find a solution for him in terms of a position. He probably needs a bit of time. By delicate I mean in terms of finding his best position, not in terms of [his future at the club].

“We want players that can perform at 100 percent in their positions. I am sure, for instance, Malo [Gusto] and Reece [James] can both do the work required of them in the next two-three days and they can both finish with more assists, or be more dangerous, than they were in the past.

“In that position, they are good enough to make ‘last passes’ or get some assists because their quality is very good.”

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These comments upset Chilwell ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Chilwell at Chelsea

Chilwell joined Chelsea in 2020 after bursting onto the scene at Leicester.

The left back moved to Stamford Bridge for a fee of over €50 million, which made him one of the most expensive players in history in his position.

He was a regular starter in his first season as Chelsea won the Champions League, but he has been blighted by injury problems in recent seasons.

Chilwell made only seven Premier League appearances in the 2021-22 season and just 13 in the 2023-24 campaign as the injuries started to pile up.

He missed the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 partly as a consequence of his injuries.

In total, he has made 106 appearances for Chelsea, scoring nine goals. He has 21 caps for England, scoring one goal.