Maresca makes SHOCK u-turn on forgotten 'bomb squad' Chelsea star

14 Sept 2024 13:45 BST
3 min read

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Enzo Maresca could perform a u-turn on another one of his forgotten ‘bomb squad’ members Ben Chilwell was a shock inclusion in Chelsea’s 25-man Premier League list.

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Chilwell was told he had no future at Stamford Bridge after being deemed unsuitable for Maresca’s tactical system upon the Italian’s appointment as Chelsea manager this summer.

However, Chilwell was unable to secure a transfer away from the club and was named in Chelsea’s 25-man squad despite Maresca initially saying there was no way back for the defender.

And the same situation appears to be manifesting for Carney Chukwuemeka, with the midfielder also likely to be reintegrated into the Chelsea fold by Maresca.

“I said already to him personally and I said already to you in the press conference, I really, really like Carney,”Maresca said.

“The problem is that we have so many attacking midfielders that he’s going to struggle to find space and for me, because of his past in terms of injury, the best thing to do was to go in some team to prove himself that he’s fit, and he can play 30, 35 games and then come back here.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t find any solution so now he’s one of the players in our squad and we can use him.”

© IMAGO - Carney Chukwuemeka is fit again after an injury-plagued campaign last year.

Chukwuemeka looking to bounce back from injury-hit season

Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea in 2022 for €18 million from Aston Villa and initially impressed as a rotation option in the midfield.

However, after starting and scoring in the second game of last season, Chukwuemeka saw his progress halted through a knee injury that kept him out for more than four months.

The 20-year-old only made seven more appearances in the rest of the campaign, struggling with more injuries that saw him fall out of favour at Stamford Bridge.

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€3M - €5.1M

Chukwuemeka was linked with several moves away during the summer but Chelsea were allegedly only willing to sell him permanently – a move which did not materialise before the window closed.

Read more about: Premier League, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka