Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was speaking to the media yesterday ahead of Chelsea’s League Cup third round match against Barrow at Stamford Bridge this evening.
Some of Maresca’s words were embargoed until late last night, as they always are. And he was asked about one forgotten Chelsea star.
EXCL: Inside story of Chelsea player being dead set on joining Crystal Palace in the summer but Chelsea moved the goalposts…
Maresca had already said that he was going to be giving chances for some of the fringe players tonight, with some of them expected to start the game. But he is taking this game and this competition very seriously, as he should be.
There will be chances for minutes though, and there will be minutes for a player we all thought was 100% being sold in the summer, Ben Chilwell.
Chilwell back in the fold
The left back was being frozen out of Chelsea in the summer but in the end, nobody came in to sign him and despite training away from the main group throughout the transfer window, he ended up staying and now he is back with the main group at Cobham.
And now after all of that, Chilwell will get minutes tonight against Barrow.
As reported by Kieran Gill of The Daily Mail, Maresca said on whether Chilwell will be getting minutes tonight:
“I think so. He will be in the squad.”
Chilwell was the Chelsea vice-captain last season under Mauricio Pochettino, but then he got sent out in the cold. A chance to fight for his Chelsea career now or just a chance for Chelsea to place him in the shop window? Probably the latter.