The manager, Enzo Maresca, has defended how Chelsea has managed Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, commenting that being asked to train apart is “not difficult.”
ESPN stated on Thursday that the players’ union had been in contact with the club regarding the conditions that the two players are experiencing this season, after they were deemed unnecessary and separated from the main team.
Despite efforts being made to arrange deals, neither player was successful in securing a departure from Stamford Bridge during the transfer period.
Maresca has not met or spoken with either player this season, and both have been kept entirely separate from the team, training and dining separately and at different times than the rest of the squad.
Sterling, who had an unsuccessful temporary spell at Arsenal last season, has two years remaining on the £325,000-per-week ($438,000-per-week) contract he signed in 2022, while Disasi’s contract lasts until 2029. He was loaned to Aston Villa for the latter part of the previous season.
“I’ve been in the same situation as Raheem and Axel when I was a player,” Maresca stated. “I understand that it’s not a pleasant feeling, because if you’re a player, you want to train and compete.”
“However, due to various reasons, the situation is what it is at the moment. I know that the club is providing them with the chance to work appropriately, and that is all I can say.
“It’s a topic that people like to discuss, but it’s not limited to Chelsea; it applies to any club worldwide, I assure you. Italy, Spain, England, France, USA, Brazil, any country. If the player and the club cannot find a solution for any reason, if you’re not part of the squad, you’re not part of the squad.”
FIFA has rules concerning players who are isolated from squads in ways that could be seen as abusive behavior by a club, potentially giving the player the right to end their contract early.
It is believed that Chelsea tried to arrange transfers for Sterling to Bayern Munich and Napoli during the summer, but the 30-year-old preferred to stay in England for family reasons.
“My father is 75 years old, and he has worked as a fisherman for 50 years, starting at two o’clock in the morning and finishing at 10 o’clock in the morning,” Maresca said. “That is a difficult life, not the way a player works.”
New addition Alejandro Garnacho is anticipated to make his first full appearance against his former team, Manchester United, at Old Trafford on Saturday.
“We are pleased with how he’s adjusting to our style and what we expect from our wingers,” Maresca added. “I believe he is prepared to start tomorrow.”
When asked about the possibility of a hostile reception from home supporters for the winger, he responded, “You have to learn to manage those types of situations.”
