With just over a week left in the transfer window, several Chelsea players have been reassigned, as Enzo Maresca, the head coach, appears to have lost interest in them. This situation is driven by the hope that Chelsea will be able to find buyers for these players, although it’s not entirely certain if that will happen.
Interestingly, despite the significant number of players that have been sidelined, we haven’t reached the “15-20” figure that Maresca mentioned when he seemed to have given up on them. This discrepancy might partly stem from Maresca’s apparent lack of awareness of exactly how many players are in Chelsea’s squad. Moreover, it also appears that some players who are assumed to be training away from the first team, such as David Datro Fofana, are actually staying with the squad. So, whether Maresca wants these players or not, it seems inevitable that they will need to be reintegrated into the team. The experience is likely to be less than ideal for them.
At the moment, it’s clear that there are 14 players who are available for transfer, and here’s where we think they might end up:
**Djordje Petrovic: Strasbourg**
Petrovic likely felt confident about his position at the end of last season, but things took a turn when Chelsea signed Filip Jorgensen, bringing the total number of goalkeepers at the club to eight. Now, with the potential addition of Mike Penders from Genk, that number could rise to nine. Maresca doesn’t seem to have much use for Petrovic, and there are rumors that Chelsea is trying to offload him to their sister club, Strasbourg, in Ligue 1.
**Unnamed Player: Al Ittihad**
Given that this player is on a £150,000 per week contract, a move to another Premier League club seems unlikely. It’s also doubtful that he would be included in any potential swap deals, such as the rumored Romelu Lukaku-Victor Osimhen deal, unless he agrees to a significant pay cut. After Chelsea rejected an initial offer from a Saudi Arabian club, Al Ittihad is reportedly still interested. The advice for Chelsea here is to accept whatever they can get.
**Lucas Bergstrom: IFK Norrkoping**
Bergstrom had a tough time last season, barely playing for the team that finished tenth in the Swedish league. Perhaps he will have better luck with the club that finished eleventh.
**Trevoh Chalobah: Newcastle**
Chalobah didn’t even make it to Chelsea’s tour of the United States, despite having shown some solid performances under Mauricio Pochettino last season. While many consider him one of Chelsea’s four best center-backs, financial considerations might lead Chelsea to sell him. Newcastle could take advantage of this situation and sign Chalobah for a relatively low price, possibly getting a player with the potential to be as valuable as Marc Guehi, but for less than half the cost.
**Ben Chilwell: Manchester United**
Last summer, Manchester United expressed interest in Chilwell, and now it appears Chelsea has ‘offered’ him to United once again. United continues to have issues at left-back, with Diogo Dalot having to play out of position on that side in a recent win over Fulham. While adding another injury-prone player might not be the wisest move for United, Chilwell could provide depth in the position, assuming Luke Shaw or Tyrell Malacia are unavailable. Given Chilwell’s recent injury record, it’s possible that Shaw might not miss many more games due to Chilwell’s presence.
In conclusion, Chelsea is attempting to move several players out of the club before the transfer window closes. Whether they succeed in doing so remains to be seen, but for now, these are the likely destinations for those players.
