Chelsea decide Ben Chilwell January transfer stance after Enzo Maresca shares 'regret'

Ben Chilwell was initially frozen out of the first-team picture at Chelsea by Enzo Maresca earlier this summer but he could now be in line for more minutes after making his return against Barrow in the Carabao Cup

Chelsea will encourage January bids for Ben Chilwell - despite his return to Enzo Maresca's first-team fold.

The 27-year-old left-back made his first appearance of the season from the bench on Tuesday as the Blues thumped Barrow 5-0 in the Carabao Cup. And while he is now training with the main group again at Cobham, his future still lies away from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea failed to receive any concrete bids for the England international defender late in the transfer window following his exile to Maresca's bomb squad. Brentford made a late enquiry but their interest was never followed up before Chelsea floated Chilwell to a host of Turkish Super Lig clubs as their transfer window did not close until September 13.

Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Istanbul Basaksehir all decided against a move for the Champions League winner, however.

Chilwell, who is part of Chelsea's 25-man Premier League roster, was also omitted from the club's UEFA Conference League squad meaning his chances of minutes will remain extremely limited moving forward.

Maresca has now indicated that he will still use the player when required, hinting he regrets the brutal nature of his push to drive Chilwell out of west London at the back end of pre-season.

He said earlier this week: “Yes, at the moment we need him, why not? I said it many times and I will say again that, as long as Chilly is with us, he is a Chelsea player. And if we need him, we give him a chance and minutes."

When asked whether he feels bad for telling Chilwell to find a new club, he later added: “We all make mistakes. Probably yes; probably no. I am here to take decisions. Sometimes they are good decisions and sometimes they are not good. The only thing I can say is that there is not any bad intention from me. It is just to see things and try to think about the best things for the club."

Chilwell remains highly respected by supporters and received a rapturous reception when he entered the field against Barrow. He is understood to be upset by the way things have played out in the past few months as he was hoping to finally put his injury struggles behind him under Chelsea's new boss.

But ultimately, he does not fit into Maresca's style of football and is thought to favour staying in the Premier League if he is forced to pursue an exit.

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