West Ham plot Chelsea raid for forgotten star in repeat of Arsenal’s Sterling deal

Updated: 19 Oct 2024 10:12 BST
2 min read

West Ham are considering the prospect of taking advantage of Chelsea’s bloated squad to make a spectacular January transfer raid on the Stamford Bridge club in a deal that is reminiscent of Arsenal’s move for Raheem Sterling.

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The Gunners were able to take Sterling away on a cheap loan deal due to his lack of prospects at their London rivals, and it appears that West Ham are prospecting for a similar bargain in the form of Ben Chilwell.

Having spent more than a decade at Leicester, both with the academy and first team, Chilwell has become a forgotten man at Chelsea, having tumbled down the pecking order under Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

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TBR Football report that Chilwell is wanted by West Ham, with the Blues likely to sell a 27-year-old whose only involvement in the first team this season has been to play 45 minutes against Barrow in the EFL Cup. He has not even made the bench in the Premier League this season while he has been excluded from Chelsea’s Conference League squad.

A “long-term loan” is being mooted, which could mean that Chilwell leaves Stamford Bridge on an 18-month agreement.

The player, who is under contract until 2027, is said to be “desperate” for a move.

Crystal Palace and Leicester also hold an interest in Chilwell, but as both already have a maximum two Premier League loan players, they would have to make the deal a permanent one.

Away from England, Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille and Atalanta are said to be interested in the player.

What is Chilwell worth?

Chilwell’s transfer value has collapsed since the summer. Having been worth €25m in June, his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is now just €16.1m owing to his lack of involvement at Chelsea.

At his peak, the player had an ETV of €42.4m.

It is unclear, meanwhile, what sort of transfer fee Chelsea expect for a player they signed for €50m from Leicester in 2020, but what is clear is that Chilwell’s future lies away from Stamford Bridge.