Enzo Maresca hints at the next Chelsea player set to leave before transfer deadline amid bitter Raheem Sterling fallout
Enzo Maresca has dropped a hint at another Chelsea player leaving the club this summer amid his fallout with Raheem Sterling.
Maresca began his reign as Chelsea boss with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
Sterling was among a few players who weren't involved in the squad for the Stamford Bridge showdown.
The player's camp released a statement just minutes after he was dropped from Maresca's matchday party.
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Speaking after his side's defeat to Man City, Maresca was asked whether Sterling would still be a Chelsea player when the transfer window slams shut to which he replied: "I don't know. The only thing I can say is that it was a technical decision and in the next day, we will want to sit and clarify the situation, but it is nothing more than that.
"For all the players, they are Chelsea players. If they are going to be Chelsea players, then we will try to use them but no more than technical decision."
Sterling wasn't the only Chelsea star to be left out of Maresca's opening matchday Premier League squad as Armando Broja, Romelu Lukaku and Ben Chilwell were also denied a spot in the team.
Not to mention Carney Chukwuemeka despite him being fit.
Like Sterling, he was excluded from the squad due to a 'technical decision'.
Asked if the 20-year-old has an opportunity to impress and break into the first-team, Maresca replied: "I think every case is different. Carney, I think he is a very good player.
"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."
Chukwuemeka was snapped up from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022.
He has scored two goals in 27 appearances across all competitions since moving to the club.
But his future appears to lie away from Chelsea.
Topics: Raheem Sterling, Enzo Maresca, Chelsea, Football, Carney Chukwuemeka
Nasir Jabbar