Chelsea: Enzo Maresca hints at Ben Chilwell U-turn after suggesting defender should leave

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·27 September 2024

Chelsea: Enzo Maresca hints at Ben Chilwell U-turn after suggesting defender should leave

Left-back made first appearance since April during Carabao Cup win over Barrow

Enzo Maresca has hinted Ben Chilwell could still be set for a role at Chelsea this season.

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The Blues head coach publicly suggested the England international may be better served finding a new club over the course of the summer, with Marc Cucurella and Renato Veiga preferred at left-back in his system.

Chilwell spent part of the summer training away from the first-team squad at the club’s Cobham base but a move away did not materialise despite links with Turkish clubs.

Maresca then brought the 27-year-old back into the fold for the 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Barrow on Tuesday night after including him in Chelsea’s 25-man squad for Premier League competition.

When asked about potentially turning to the former Leicester defender during the season, Maresca said: “Yes, in the moment we need him, why not? I said already many times and I will say again that, as long as Chilly is with us, he is a Chelsea player. And if we need him, we give him a chance and minutes."

Pressed further on whether he regrets telling Chilwell to find a new club, the Italian added: “We all make mistakes. Probably yes; probably no. I am here to take decisions. Sometimes they are good decisions and sometimes they are not good.

"The only thing I can say is that there is not any bad intention from me. It is just to see things and try to think about the best things for the club."

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Chelsea: Enzo Maresca hints at Ben Chilwell U-turn after suggesting defender should leave | OneFootball

Chelsea: Enzo Maresca hints at Ben Chilwell U-turn after suggesting defender should leave

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