Chelsea and Enzo Maresca are now ready to move on a member of their squad permanently in January, it has emerged, after they failed to do so over the summer.
Chelsea secure win at Bournemouth
Chelsea’s substitutes lifted them to a tough 1-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, as Jadon Sancho provided the assist for Christopher Nkunku to poke home late in the day, the pair both having come off the bench to rescue the result.
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Comfortably second-best for much of the encounter, the result nonetheless continues Chelsea’s encouraging start to the Premier League campaign under Maresca, lifting them to 8th place after four games with their only defeat coming at the hands of reigning champions Manchester City.
But as is so often the case in west London under the current ownership, transfers continue to dominate the news.
Chelsea plan to accept permanent bids for midfielder
Now, one report has revealed that Chelsea are gearing up to cash in on midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka after he missed out on a loan move away this summer.
Maresca hailed the midfielder a “very good player” ahead of the season but added that he needed game time, refusing to guarantee him any at Stamford Bridge.
“Carney, I think he is a very good player. With us, is he going to play 35 games? I’m not sure”, the Italian explained. “The problem is, because of some injuries in the past, I think the best for him is to play 30 or 35 games in a row, to show himself that he is fit and how good he is because he is very good.”
However, the England U20 international couldn’t finalise a loan move away from the club before the window slammed shut and now looks set for a bit-part role in west London.
As a result, despite still having four years left to run on his £100,000 a week deal at Stamford Bridge, Football Insider report that Chelsea are ready to cash in on him in January permanently. In fact, such is their desire for a permanent exit that they “will reject any loan offers” for the youngster, having been willing to accept such deals over the summer.
Chukwuemeka has featured sparingly for the Blues since his arrival and looks unlikely to see the pitch any time soon in the Premier League, having been left out of the matchday squad for Saturday’s win over Bournemouth despite the absences of both Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, with Maresca opting to use young defender Renato Veiga alongside Moises Caicedo.
Carney Chukwuemeka’s Chelsea career
Appearances
27
Starts
4
Goals
2
Assists
1
Yellow Cards
2
Though registered for the Conference League, the 20-year-old is likely to want more football than Europe’s third-tier competition can offer. Given the midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order, a departure may well be best for all parties, while his age means that the Blues may not make a loss on their £20m signing despite his three unproductive seasons at the club.