Chelsea's banished XI including five England stars after Enzo Maresca's 'I don't care' blast
This week Enzo Maresca gave a ruthless message over exiling Chelsea players from his squad, insisting he had too many players to work with and "didn't care" about having to exclude them from the first team
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has taken a brutal approach to streamlining his bloated Blues squad this summer after exiling around half of his team to allow him to focus on the players who fit into his plans - with a huge group of other stars training away from the team.
Much has been made about the huge size of the Chelsea squad, with Maresca struggling to juggle a squad of more than 40 players, and a number of stars have become cast aside after being told they were not in the manager's plans.
This week Maresca gave a ruthless message after being questioned over the players he had sent away to train alone, insisting he had too many players to work with and "didn't care" about having to exclude them from the first team squad.
Speaking in his press conference on Wednesday, he said: “I am not working with 42 players. I am working with 21 players. The other 15-20 players are training apart. I don't see them. It's not a mess like it looks from the outside. Absolutely not. They can even have 20 years contract, it’s not my point. I don’t care."
With so many players being left out by Maresca - with stars like Conor Gallagher already leaving through the exit door - you could create an entire XI of players who have been sidelined, with those left out training under loan technical coach Carlo Cudicini in a group being dubbed the "bomb squad".
Chelsea have been mocked this summer for having so many goalkeepers in their squad - with the £20m arrival of Filip Jorgenson leaving the club with seven goalkeepers before Eddie Beach departed on loan to Crawley Town. Kepa Arrizabalaga - signed for £72m in 2018 - has been training away from the squad and Bournemouth are now in talks to sign the Spaniard.
Meanwhile in defence, Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell have both found themselves left out of Maresca's plans, with the former - an ex England U21 star - not involved in the club's pre-season tour to the United States and now linked with moves to Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Fulham.
Chillwell, has struggled to produce consistency amid a battle to stay fit - having missed a huge chunk of last season - and has reportedly been offered to Manchester United after claims that Maresca told the England international he will struggle for minutes.
Brazilian youngster Angelo also looks set to depart after failing to make a single appearance since joining Chelsea from Santos last year - spending last season on loan at the club's feeder team Strasbourg..
In midfield, Raheem Sterling has been Chelsea's most high-profile absentee after being excluded from Maresca's matchday squad to play Man City on the opening day - with his future looking increasingly uncertain after his camp made a statement calling for clarity.
Academy stars Harvey Vale and Tino Anjorin, who have both featured for the Three Lions at youth level, have spent a long time at the club but also look likely to leave after being placed among the exiled group. Chelsea are also set to cash in on David Datro Fofana despite only joining the club last year and signing a six-year deal.
Forward Armando Broja has been keeping himself ticking over as he awaits a possible loan move to join Ipswich Town - though the switch is in danger of collapsing amid an injury suffered by the Albanian.
Romelu Lukaku's exile should not last long, however, with Napoli close to signing the towering Belgian forward in a £30m deal that would see him reunite with former Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte.
Joining him among Chelsea's attacking outcasts is Deivid Washington - the Brazilian who, like Datro Fofana, only joined last season for £17m. He managed just three appearances in competitions for the Blues last season and may prove difficult to shift with his lack of top flight experience.
Chelsea's banished XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Chilwell, Angelo; Sterling, Anjorin, Vale, Fofana; Broja, Lukaku, Washington.
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