Chelsea handed transfer blow as unwanted star ready to 'dig heels' in over exit

Chelsea could have a problem as they look to offload one of their unwanted player. The Blues did a good job of offloading players during the summer window, with Enzo Maresca taking what many described as a ruthless approach, separating any and all players he didn’t want from his primary squad and marking them for departure.

Some left permanently, some on loan and others didn’t leave at all, with a handful of players getting stuck at Stamford Bridge. Many of those players have found their only game time in the Conference League, but that is likely to change when Chelsea arrive at the knockout stage in the coming weeks.

Ben Chilwell falls into that category having been cast aside by Maresca during the summer, although the situation has been worse for the left-back than for many of the other of the unwanted players. Chilwell has not even featured in the Conference League, with his only appearance of the season coming in the Carabao Cup.

A departure is inevitable for the defender, and Maresca himself has said: “There are players that unfortunately didn’t play a lot with us in all the competitions, like Chilwell, like Carney. Probably they are the first that want to leave as they work every day, they train every day, they want to play games – and if they don’t play games they are thinking of leaving. So we’re going to see if some of them are coming to knock on the door and say I want to leave. For each player it’s a different situation.”

The problem, according to The Sun, is that Chilwell is not willing to walk away from his £190,000-per-week contract. It’s suggested Chelsea may need to offer Chilwell a settlement to make up the difference should he be offered a lower wage elsewhere. The problem for Chilwell, if indeed he does decide to dig his heels in, is that Maresca has enjoyed a fine start to life at Chelsea, and so the usual waiting game is unlikely to work.

A departure is a likely requirement in January if Chilwell wants to play football, and there are limited options due to a contract that will last until 2027 as things stand. Meanwhile, Chelsea must take a financial bath of their own having spent £50million on Chilwell, a figure they are not likely to come close to in any sale, especially given they have made it clear they don’t want him.