Chelsea: Enzo Maresca outlines stance on midfielder loan recalls amid double injury doubt | OneFootball

Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia have both been struggling of late and could miss Wolves clash

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca looks to have ruled out the possibility of recalling either Andrey Santos or Lesley Ugochukwu from their current loan spells.

The stalling Blues head into Monday night’s Premier League clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge with a potential shortage of options in midfield, with Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia both struggling with muscle fatigue.

Chelsea are already without Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall due to injury, along with defenders Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, while Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill are also questionable for the game after being injured during last week’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Bournemouth that extended their winless top-flight run to five matches as they slipped out of the top four altogether having previously had the look of title contenders.

Chelsea have already moved to recall Trevoh Chalobah early from his season-long loan spell with London rivals Crystal Palace this month to add extra defensive cover given those injuries and with Axel Disasi and summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo both linked with moves away from the club, while Aaron Anselmino has also been summoned back from Boca Juniors ahead of schedule.

However, Maresca does not anticipate needing to do likewise with the likes of Santos and Ugochukwu, with Fernandez and Lavia not expected to miss much time, if any.

“No, because we don't know if it's a problem for Enzo or Lavia, just that we don't know if they'll play against Wolves,” the Italian said.

Santos joined Chelsea from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama for a fee of around £18million in January 2023, but has yet to make a senior appearance for the club.

He made just two appearances in five months on loan at Nottingham Forest in the first half of last season before being recalled in January and sent to sister club Strasbourg in France, where he impressed and saw the loan extended by a further season in the summer.

Ugochukwu, meanwhile, arrived from Rennes for approximately £23.2m in August 2023 and made 15 appearances for Chelsea during the short-lived managerial reign of Mauricio Pochettino before being loaned to newly-promoted Southampton, where he has appeared 16 times so far this term but made only five league starts for the bottom club.