Chelsea’s transfer policy “won’t change” even as Maresca puts on the pressure | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca’s post match comments on Saturday caught everyone out.

He started talking about how difficult the last 48 hours had been for him, due to a lack of support. At the time, those in the press conference and reading about it at home were puzzled – was he talking about support from the club, from fans or from the media?

It turns out that his ire was aimed at others in the club, and according to Ben Jacobs it’s an “internal issue” which has been frustrating him for a while. But what exactly is it? While the manager seemed to want protection from those in the club, Jacobs’ article starts talking about the club’s recruitment policy, making us question whether that’s something he’s frustrated about too.

Chelsea’s recruitment policy not changing soon

Joe Shields, Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart and Sam Jewell with the Conference League trophy.

“It has been made clear to Maresca that Chelsea’s youth-led model won’t dramatically change because it is backed by the hierarchy and starting to bear fruits. Co-owner Behdad Eghbali along with sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley believe the project is starting to pay off,” Jacobs wrote.

“And Chelsea have doubled down on their investment in youth by adding highly-rated recruitment expert Dave Fallows to work across football development.”

Does this mean he’s not been happy with the squad he’s been given, and the way the average age is being kept low to favour resale value over immediate quality? He’s always said he’s happy with his squad and knows what he signed up for, but increasingly that looks unlikely.

In other news…

Maresca lashed out in his post match press conference, and insider Ben Jacobs had some thoughts on who his comments were aimed at. The manager speaks to the media later today and all eyes will be on him.

Trevoh Chalobah was one of the stars of the show on Saturday and his stats highlight another excellent performance alongside Wesley Fofana in Chelsea’s back line.