Enzo Maresca claims that Ben Chilwell is back in contention for Chelsea after being reintegrated into the first-team squad.
Chilwell had been part of Chelsea’s infamous “bomb squad” over the summer, where several first-team players were sidelined and trained separately after being deemed surplus to requirements by Maresca.
Despite being told early in pre-season that he had no future at the club, Chilwell was unable to secure a move away.
He was eventually registered in Chelsea’s 25-man squad for the Premier League.
Maresca noted that Chilwell’s inclusion in the matchday group will be evaluated “game after game.”
The former Leicester City star struggled to attract interest from other clubs, with potential suitors reportedly deterred by his wages and injury concerns.
A proposed loan move to Turkey also fell through, leaving Chelsea to reintegrate Chilwell into their squad.
The club appears to be positioning him for a potential transfer in January.
Maresca said: “Ben is one of the guys who was ready to leave, but he’s here and he’s training with us.
“He’s training well.
“He’s our player.
“The situation with him was very clear, but now the situation has changed a little bit.
“Game after game we are going to consider in case we are going to use him.”
Ben Chilwell was absent from Chelsea’s squad for their match against West Ham on Saturday.
However, the 27-year-old hopes to contribute in the upcoming Carabao Cup tie against Barrow next week.
Although Chelsea have faced injury issues on the right side of their defence, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella have performed well on the left, giving manager Enzo Maresca no reason to make changes.
Meanwhile, summer signing Renato Veiga remains the preferred backup left-back, making it challenging for Chilwell to reestablish himself in the starting lineup.
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