Chelsea have now informed teams that they are willing to let one member of their squad leave as early as the January transfer window as they look to streamline Enzo Maresca’s ranks.
Chelsea flying high
Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca is effectively working with two different XIs at Stamford Bridge in the early parts of the season, but the bizzare set up has proved successful so far. The former Leicester City man has a Premier League XI, which consists of his favoured players, while those who he feels are not up to scratch are part of a completely different XI that take part in the UEFA Conference League, with very little overlap between the two.
The positives of such a system were on full show against Aston Villa, where Chelsea looked fresher than their opponents and outplayed Unai Emery’s out of form side on their way to a 3-0 win and three points.
Both had midweek European commitments, but Villa had not been able to rotate against Juventus, while Chelsea’s first XI enjoyed a rest on Thursday night by contrast.
It remains to be seen whether the situation will bear fruit in the long run, with question marks about what might happen if they reach the final stages of the Conference League or the Champions League next season, where Maresca will want his strongest side on show.
It has already led to murmurs of discontent too, with Christopher Nkunku reportedly unhappy with his role in the “B” team at Stamford Bridge. And now, another member could be cast aside in January.
“Very good” forward could leave midseason
That comes as a fresh report has revealed that Chelsea are now ready to part ways with Mykhailo Mudryk this winter, and have already informed potential suitors. The Ukrainian international has flattered to deceive since arriving at Chelsea in a mammoth deal two years ago, and has managed just one Premier League start so far this season.
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He was among those labelled “very good” by Enzo Maresca for his recent performance against Heidenheim though, with the Italian explaining: “I think it is difficult to find players that tonight did not play well. All of them did very good. This is what we need.”
However, there had been previous claims that he would be able to leave on loan in January, and now Caught Offside claim that the Blues “have made it clear to clubs that Mykhailo Mudryk is set to be made available”, either on loan or permanently.
|
Mykhailo Mudryk at Chelsea (All competitions) |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
73 |
|
Starts |
40 |
|
Goals |
10 |
|
Assists |
9 |
|
Yellow Cards |
9 |
|
Minutes per goal/assist |
190 |
It is added that “Chelsea would also be open to selling Mudryk, but for now it seems a loan is the most likely outcome”, with the forward still having a mammoth six and a half years left to run on his £100,000 a week deal at Stamford Bridge.
In terms of suitors, it is claimed that both Newcastle and Crystal Palace are keeping an eye on the situation as they look to bolster their frontlines.
Maresca has already shown he is willing to be ruthless by sidelining Ben Chilwell, and now could be set to offload one of Chelsea’s major signings under Todd Boehly.