Enzo Maresca says Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka are likely to be the first Chelsea players to ask to leave in January due to their lack of playing time.
England left-back Chilwell has made just one appearance this season which came as a half-time substitute in a 5-0 victory over Barrow in the Carabao Cup.
The 27-year-old was training separately at the start of the season as he looked for a move away from the club but that failed to materialise and he has since been part of first-team training.
Meanwhile, Chukwuemeka, a £20m signing from Aston Villa in January 2023, has been limited to substitute appearances in the Conference League, though he was not in the squad for Thursday’s 5-1 rout of Shamrock Rovers.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Everton on Sunday, Maresca expects both to want to leave. He said: “There are players that unfortunately didn’t play a lot with us in all the competitions like (Ben) Chilwell, like Carney (Chukwuemeka).
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“Probably they are the first [to say] that they want to leave because they train every day, because they want to play games and if they don’t play games probably they are thinking of leaving.
“Each player is a bit different situation, so we’re going to see if some of them are coming and knocking on the door to say ‘I want to leave’ or something like that. We will try to find a solution.”
Maresca has encouraged his Chelsea youngsters to stay around the first team but hasn’t ruled out striker Marc Guiu, who scored a hat-trick against Shamrock, heading out on loan in January.
“I think with young players like Marc (Guiu), like Josh (Acheampong), like Ty (Tyrique George), for me the best thing for them is to be with us,” said Maresca.
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“They can understand every day the way we want to play, they can grow, we can teach them how we want them to play, so I think it’s better if they stay with us.
“Then it depends a little bit also on the desire of the players. If, in this case, Marc’s desire is to get more minutes and to play more, we sit with him and we decide together.”
Maresca has had the luxury of a run of fixtures against limited opposition in Europe, during which he has given significant game time to players who have struggled to get into his Premier League selections.
They finished top of the Conference League table ensuring direct passage to the last 16, meaning a hiatus from European duty until March.
“I’m not worried about the next three months, if the players are happy or not,” said Maresca. “We have many games, if they do the right things, if they work properly for sure they all are going to have a chance to play.
“Next week we have three games (against Everton, Fulham and Ipswich), so we continue to play many games. Then in January the FA Cup will start.
“Game by game we’re going to try to choose the best XI, or the ones we think are the right ones for that game.”
Reece James, who has not featured since November’s draw with Arsenal, was expected to make a partial return to first-team training on Friday as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
“It doesn’t mean he’s going to be with us on Sunday or next Sunday,” said Maresca. “The plan is part of the session he’ll be with the team then from there to try to build the right conditions for him.”
