What Enzo Maresca told Raheem Sterling as he removed four stars from Chelsea’s Conference League squad list
Raheem Sterling and three other players have been left out of Chelsea‘s European after seemingly falling out of favour with new manager Enzo Maresca.
Sterling was a shock omission from Chelsea’s squad for their Premier League season opener against Manchester City last weekend.
Following the announcement of the match day squad, Sterling’s representatives released a statement saying that they wanted clarity about his future with the club.
And now things have gotten worse for the Englishman, as Maresca has left him, and three of his team mates, out of the Chelsea squad for their next match this week.
The London club will face Swiss side Servette at Stamford Bridge on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa Conference League tie, with the second leg to be played on 29 August.
And Sterling was not named in Chelsea’s A-list which was submitted to Uefa ahead of the match, with defenders Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo also absent.
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However, if Chelsea successfully qualify for the Europa Conference League, all four players could be named in the squad for the group stage which is set to begin in October.
Sterling has made 81 appearances for Chelsea since he joined from Manchester City in July 2022 for a reported fee of £50million.
England teammate Chilwell, who captained the Blues for much of last season in the absence of Reece James, missed out on Sunday’s match against City due to illness, which is likely also the reason for his omission for the midweek match.
Having struggled with various injuries, Fofana has failed to find a settled place in Chelsea’s squad and has made just 16 appearances for the club since joining from Leicester City in 2022.
Adarabioyo is yet to make his debut for Chelsea having joined the club as a free agent this summer.
In the statement released to the Daily Mail ahead of the match with preseason, Sterling’s team questioned his future with the club.
It read: “Given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.
“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.”
What Enzo Maresca told Raheem Sterling in training
A Chelsea ‘source’ revealed what Enzo Maresca is said to have told Raheem Sterling before leaving him out of the matchday squad against Manchester City.
Sterling was one of a huge number of stars that missed the City clash, with Chelsea currently trying to reduce their first team squad – which now stands at 43 players.
But while many of the current outcasts played no part during pre-season, Sterling was a regular fixture.
According to the Daily Mail, it has emerged that Maresca told Sterling he would have ‘limited’ opportunities for game time this campaign in comparison to last season.
It is claimed that Sterling has transfer interest from Juventus, while there is also a move to Saudi Arabia potentially on offer. However, the England winger is said to not be keen on moving to the Saudi Pro League at this stage in his career.
Sterling still has three years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, while his high wages are also said to present a potential issue for interested clubs.
Juventus may be able to get a deal done if they can sell players, with Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio claiming that Barcelona have already contacted the club over the possibility of signing winger Federico Chiesa, as well as holding talks with his agency.
