Chelsea coaches are trying to find a position for Ben Chilwell as his skillset is not seen as entirely suited to Enzo Maresca’s system of choice, casting some doubt on the England full back’s future.
Chilwell is at his best when bombing down the left-hand side but Maresca’s full backs will be expected to move into midfield.
The 27-year-old went unused in Chelsea’s last friendly – a 4-1 loss to Celtic – and has been linked with being sold this summer amid concerns that he would struggle inverting.
He is considered a good character to have in the dressing room, and is under contract until 2027, but Chelsea’s pre-season preparations have indicated he would not be a preferred choice in the upcoming campaign.
Maresca spoke with journalists in Atlanta about Chilwell and told us: ‘Chilly is a left-back, for sure. I see him as I've always seen him like a left full-back.’
Ben Chilwell has been linked with a move away from Chelsea this summer due to Enzo Maresca's arrival
Asked if he can invert, Chelsea’s new head coach continued: ‘His situation is a bit delicate in terms of we are trying to find a solution for him in terms of position. But he probably needs a bit of time. Delicate in terms of finding the right position for him.
‘We want players that can perform 100 per cent and for sure in these two or three weeks, Malo (Gusto) and Reece (James) can both do the work required of them and both finish with more assists or more dangerous in the way they were being used in the past because in that position they are good enough to make last passes because their quality, they are both very good.’
Other options for Chelsea at left back include Marc Cucurella, who performed exceptionally at Euro 2024, as well as Renato Veiga and Levi Colwill.