Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is currently assessing the remainder of his squad that haven’t gone out on international duty, and the Italian has promised one thing to a highly-rated youngster who’s now looking to turn heads at Cobham.
The Blues take on Brentford in their first game back from the break, four days before a blockbuster opening Champions League game against Bayern Munich at Stamford Bridge on September 17.
After a summer of trimming down Maresca’s squad, partly to comply with UEFA as Chelsea looked to register a ‘positive transfer balance’, Maresca named a 23-man squad for his European A-list — notably missing out summer signing Facundo Buonanotte.
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen
Defenders: Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah,
Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, Jorrel Hato,
Reece James.
Midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Dario Essugo, Enzo Fernández, Andrey Santos.
Forwards: Liam Delap, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto,
Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Estevao.
Bomb squad members Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling were unsurprisingly omitted, with reports still suggesting the pair could leave soon, even after the UK transfer window shut its doors at 7pm on Monday.
Disasi has been subject to an approach from Saudi side Neom SC, while former Man United chief scout Mick Brown believes Chelsea could terminate Raheem Sterling’s deal in a bid to rid the club of his £325,000-per-week wages.
“It’s a possibility that Chelsea could tear up his contract,” he told Football Insider.
“Fulham and West Ham are clubs I’ve heard want him, but they haven’t been able to do deals with Chelsea or meet the wages they’re paying him. If Chelsea know a move is there for him, they might cut their losses and let him go for free.”
As we’ve seen from the last window, you can never rule anything out at Chelsea, with Liam Delap’s injury prompting BlueCo to both re-negotiate a more favourable exit for Nicolas Jackson whilst recalling Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland.
The teenager was also named in Maresca’s Champions League A-list squad, so the intention to play him is crystal clear, and Guiu is believed to have received the Chelsea boss’ word on a key issue.
The former Barcelona gem was set to further his development with more guaranteed game time at Sunderland, and had already made his mark by scoring for Regis Le Bris’ side in the EFL Cup against Huddersfield Town.
Marc Guiu desperate to impress in Chelsea training after Maresca promise
Now back in west London, Guiu is desperate to impress in Chelsea training, with Maresca promising the 19-year-old that he will be handed game time in the coming weeks.
That is according to GiveMeSport, who state that the Spaniard has set his sights on dazzling Maresca behind-the-scenes as he looks to stake his claim in the Chelsea squad.
It is also noted that, if Guiu can prove to be a constant threat in the final third, then there will be a chance for him to become a prominent figure in the club’s plans moving forward.
The youngster scored six goals in seven Conference League appearances last term, playing a major role in the group stages before missing out on nearly every knockout game with a hamstring injury — bar a three-minute cameo in the final.