Chelsea players not distracted by transfer noise, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall says
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca continues his efforts to trim his bloated squad.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Chelsea’s players are in a “bubble” and will not be distracted by the constant transfer speculation surrounding the club this season, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall said, as manager Enzo Maresca continues his efforts to trim his bloated squad.
Maresca had said that England internationals Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are among a group of more than 15 players who are not training with the first team, and will not be part of the Blues’ plans for the campaign ahead.
Asked if the uncertainty among the squad – especially since Sterling and Chilwell are senior players – was unsettling the team, Dewsbury-Hall said on Aug 21: “No, we’re in a bubble with it.
“You can’t let that sort of thing affect you. The only thing we’re doing is just going out every day and training as well as we can, getting ready for the matches. Everything that happens outside, it’s not up to us.
“Probably when the transfer window finishes, then it can just be pure focus on the season. Of course, when it’s open, you get speculations.”
The 25-year-old is safe from the axe as he is a new signing himself, joining Chelsea from Leicester City in July for a reported fee of £30 million (S$51.4 million).
It was a move that reunited him with former Foxes boss Maresca at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking ahead of the Europa Conference League play-off, first-leg clash against Swiss side Servette on Aug 22, Dewsbury-Hall added that Maresca is someone who is very clear on what he wants and does not want.
“He’s definitely a person that gives you that,” he said.
Despite all the transfer speculation and changes to his team, Maresca has insisted he was not presiding over a “mess” of a squad after the Blues were involved in yet more transfer activity on Aug 21.
“I am not working with 42 players, I am working with 21 players (in first-team training),” the Italian said.
Joao Felix was the latest acquisition
Maresca, whose side started the new English Premier League season with a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City last weekend,
“He is a good player, a talent. The club already knows him from two years ago. He can play different positions with us, inside, as a nine, outside,” he said.
Felix joined Atletico in 2019 and made 131 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side, although he spent last season on loan at Barcelona. He previously made 20 appearances in all competitions during his six-month loan spell with Chelsea, scoring just four goals.
After facing Servette in the match which kicked off after press time, the Blues travel to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Aug 25. REUTERS, AFP
