Maresca expected to let £89m Chelsea player go in another high-profile axe
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is expected to axe another one of his high-profile players, who could now leave Stamford Bridge in January.
Maresca leads brutal summer clearout at Chelsea
The west Londoners have let 16 senior players leave in the last few months, with many of them sealing moves just before the summer transfer window shut.
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Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall, Romelu Lukaku, Omari Hutchinson, Diego Moreira, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr, Thiago Silva and Lesley Ugochukwu are among the many senior players who departed Chelsea, either on loan or permanently, with a host of others sealing moves away at the eleventh hour.
Armando Broja, Trevoh Chalobah, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Djordje Petrovic, Tino Anjorin and Raheem Sterling all agreed very late-window transfers elsewhere, with the latter making a deadline day switch to London rivals Arsenal on loan.
Maresca has been forthright in telling his players where their futures lie, with the tactician explaining just how honest he has been with the likes of Sterling.
"I prefer to be honest with players," said Maresca on his exit-bound players at Chelsea, and how he's dealt with them.
"The ones who are not involved are not going to be involved and they won't get any minutes if they stay. I don't know what happens when the window closes if they are still here. The ones who will get minutes are the ones I think can help us.
"Raheem [Sterling] is a fantastic guy who has trained very well. Every manager has a different idea, and he is the kind of winger that is not one that I like. History and numbers speak for Raheem. He knows exactly what he needs to do.
Raheem Sterling's all-time stats for Chelsea
Goals
19
Assists
12
Yellow cards
13
Red cards
0
Minutes played
5,335
"The rest are training apart, they are not going to get minutes. I have been clear and honest with them."
Out-of-favour defender Ben Chilwell has been heavily linked with a Chelsea exit, and could still seal a move to Turkey, as their transfer window doesn't close until Friday.
The Englishman is rumoured to be training away from Maresca's first team, with some reports suggesting Chilwell has been offered out to Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Istanbul Başakşehir in the Super Lig.
Striker David Datro Fofana was in talks over a move to AEK Athens in Greece, and an agreement gas reportedly been reached, as per Fabrizio Romano.
There is now also uncertainty surrounding Mykhailo Mudryk and his future at Chelsea. Reports have suggested that Mudryk faces a battle for his place at Chelsea under Maresca, but reliable journalist Simon Phillips has provided a more definitive update on the Ukrainian.
Chelsea expected to loan out Mykhailo Mudryk in January
As per Phillips, writing via his substack, Maresca and Chelsea are expected to loan out Mudryk in January – which would come two years after the Blues decided to pay £89 million for his services.
The 23-year-old winger has failed to justify his mammoth Shakhtar Donetsk price tag so far, despite Steven Gerrard calling him the "real deal" when he first joined.
Mudryk boasts just seven goals and five assists over 62 total appearances, but the increased competition for places out-wide potentially threatens his place.