“Enzo Maresca excludes four Chelsea stars valued at £170M from his plans, putting them up for sale as he initiates a significant squad overhaul.”
The four players set for sale are defenders Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Generating significant funds from these players seems unlikely due to their underwhelming performances at Chelsea.
Badiashile has not met expectations since his January 2023 transfer from Monaco. Similarly, Cucurella has disappointed after becoming the most expensive left-back in the world following his 2022 move from Brighton.
Chalobah has been available for transfer for a year, with this summer expected to be when he finally leaves his boyhood club.
Despite reports suggesting Maresca wanted to keep Sanchez, Teamtalk claims he intends to offload the goalkeeper following a poor season.
Maresca plans to use the proceeds from these sales to rebuild the team after a dismal season under Mauricio Pochettino.
On Monday, Maresca began his tenure as Chelsea Head Coach on a five-year contract.
The Italian replaces Pochettino at Stamford Bridge for the 2024/25 season and beyond.
Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual consent after the 2023-24 campaign, which saw the Blues secure a Conference League spot with a late surge.
Maresca previously led Leicester City to the Championship title, showcasing impressive football early in the season.
Despite some fan opposition due to Leicester’s poor finish, Chelsea paid €10 million in compensation to release the 44-year-old Italian from his Leicester contract, highlighting their high regard for him. Maresca quickly became a top candidate, with personal terms not being an issue.
He was chosen over Kieran McKenna, Roberto de Zerbi, and Thomas Frank for the Chelsea job.