Enzo Maresca issues Chelsea defence as 'disrespectful' transfer decision slammed

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca’s comments on the sale of Conor Gallagher are wide of the mark if Emmaniel Petit’s take is anything to go by. The Blues are set to offload Gallagher to Atletico Madrid after failing to agree a new contract with their academy product.

The England midfielder wanted a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge having become an importing player in the team, but he and the club failed to agree terms, and he now looks set to join Atletico. Questioned about that, Chelsea boss Maresca blamed the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.

He told reporters: “These kinds of things happen in every club, every summer and in the end the final decision will be good for everyone. Hopefully the final decision will be good for Conor and the club."

He added: “But this is not Chelsea's problem, these are the rules. All the clubs at this moment are compelled to sell players from the academy because of the rules. It's all of the Premier League clubs' problems. I also think the intention of the club is not to sell players from the academy but it is the rules at the end that you have to do it. It's not only us, it's all the Premier League clubs.

"It's a shame because in Italy, we have [Francesco] Totti with Roma, 20 years with the same club. One-club-man; we love that in football, the fans want to see that. But with the rules now it is different than the past. It is not only Chelsea spending money on players. It's all the big clubs to try and buy players. Some of the clubs spend more, some spend less. My personal opinion is it's a shame because we like to see a one-club-man but the rules are different."

Asked if the rules should change, Maresca said: “If they want to protect academy players, then probably yes."

In reality, those comments only tell half of the story, with Chelsea having spent over £1billion since the arrival of Todd Boehly in 2022. It’s for that reason they find themselves needing to balance the books, while clubs like Liverpool are able to keep their academy products, under no pressure to sell this summer or any time soon.

Petit hits back

Former Chelsea man Emmanuel Petit set the record straight in an interview with Gambling Zone, saying: “£30 million? He’s probably the best midfielder in the squad. How can Gallagher be worth £30 million is Manuel Ugarte is worth £60 or £70 million? It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t get it. I don’t understand the decisions being made at the club. They must sell players because they signed so many and are counting the cost of those mistakes in the transfer market. £30 million for Conor Gallagher is a bargain in this market.”

Petit added: “They should have done more to keep him. They’ve been trying to sell him for two years. I think he’s been disrespected. They should have offered him a contract in line with the best-paid players at the club. Give him the same money you offered to those players who are strangers to the fans and who aren’t academy players.

“Chelsea need to be careful. It’s really important to keep those English players, players that have grown up in the club, in the squad. You need them there to set the standards and to keep the culture. Chelsea should have done everything they could to convince him to stay. I thought he improved a lot last season. His performances and development were a pleasant surprise. They’ve put him under pressure. They gave him an ultimatum, which was ‘sign the contract or we’ll sell you’. If I was Gallagher, I would be screaming with anger.”