Chelsea are reportedly open to selling another member of their squad in 12 months' time despite praise from manager Enzo Maresca.
Plenty more new faces at Stamford Bridge this summer
It was another summer of upheaval in west London, with transfers dominating the headlines. 11 new faces arrived at Stamford Bridge, with four forwards arriving led by Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, while Jadon Sancho was signed on loan on transfer deadline day, in a deal that will become permanent should Chelsea finish higher than 14th place, something that both those in charge and the fanbase hope will be a formality this season.
Chelsea's summer 2024 arrivals
Player
Fee (as per transfermarkt)
Pedro Neto
€60m
Joao Felix
€52m
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
€35.4m
Filip Jorgensen
€24.5m
Mike Penders
€20m
Aaron Anselmino
€16.5m
Renato Veiga
€14m
Caleb Wiley
€10.1m
Marc Guiu
€6m
Jadon Sancho
Loan
Tosin Adarabioyo
Free
Enzo Maresca's side have enjoyed a mixed start to the Premier League season as they look to bed their new faces in, being well beaten by Manchester City in their opening game before thrashing Wolves and being held to a draw by Crystal Palace before the international break, leaving them 11th in the table as things stand.
Several players could yet leave before transfer windows around Europe slam shut, with David Fofana wanted by AEK Athens and Ben Chilwell linked with a move to Turkey (where the transfer window shuts on Friday 13th September). But one player has been unable to secure a move away, and his lack of action could change Chelsea's stance on his future.
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That comes as former CBS reporter turned transfer insider Ben Jacobs has suggested that Chelsea chiefs will be "open" to selling 20-year-old midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka if his situation doesn't change in the next 12 months. Maresca hailed the midfielder a "very good player" but added that he needed gametime, refusing to guarantee him any at Stamford Bridge.
"Carney, I think he is a very good player. With us, is he going to play 35 games? I'm not sure", the Italian explained. "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."
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However, the England U20 international couldn't finalise a loan move away from the club before the window slammed shut, and now looks set for a bit-part role in west London. Despite still having four years left to run on his £100,000 a week deal at Stamford Bridge, Jacobs has revealed that the Blues are open to cutting their losses if he does not step up this season.
“Chelsea, don’t look at Chukwuemeka as somebody that is a big outlay on the wage bill. Nor was he signed for a particularly large fee,” he told GIVEMESPORT.
“It was a big fee, given his age and his profile at the time, but it’s under £20million all in so Chelsea, want to give the player the opportunity to maybe change their mind or move higher in the pecking order, and that may come through a loan to get him more minutes, or if something can’t be facilitated, they’ll be open for a sale in 2025.”
Given the midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order, a departure may well be best for all parties, while his age means that the Blues are unlikely to make a loss on their £20m signing despite his three unproductive seasons at the club.