Chelsea have made a final decision on whether another two first-team players will form part of the 'bomb squad' following the transfer window closing.
In yet another busy window for the Blues, Chelsea were able to offload unwanted stars like Raheem Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Trevoh Chalobah, Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja.
The aforementioned players had been made surplus to requirements and forced to train separately from the first-team.
But two stars set to move on did not see a transfer come to fruition before the deadline closed.
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Carney Chukwuemeka, who has made just 27 appearances since joining Chelsea in 2022, was told by Enzo Maresca that he could leave the club in order to get regular minutes.
"Carney, I think he is a very good player," Maresca said.
"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. With us, is he going to play 35 games? I'm not sure."
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A loan was mooted for the former Aston Villa man but did not materialise and The Athletic say that both he and fellow youngster Cesare Casadei will stay in the first-team environment.
The latter, who worked with Maresca last season while on loan at Leicester CIty, suffered an injury on the club's pre-season tour of the United States.
But Lesley Ugochukwu's loan to Southampton means he is in the plans and Casadei was named on the bench for the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
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However, his future is set to be addressed once again in the January transfer window.
Ben Chilwell is another player frozen out, with Maresca stating the England international "is going to struggle in his position with us".
One of the club's best-paid players, it's said there is "genuine regret" they could not find a solution for him.
Topics: Chelsea, Enzo Maresca
Josh Lawless