Chelsea have one more path to explore in ongoing attempts to disarm the ‘bomb squad’ this summer.
Another heavy-handed spend at Stamford Bridge swelled numbers and Enzo Maresca brutally axed several first-teamers to shape the group in his own guise. Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling and Romelu Lukaku were among the biggest names ousted by the former Leicester City manager upon his arrival in west London.
Sterling managed to secure a last-gasp loan move to Arsenal before the August 30 deadline for major European nations, while Lukaku signed for Napoli to replace Chelsea-linked Victor Osimhen, who has since headed over to Turkey on loan after he was unable to get his dream permanent transfer. And the Super Lig market remains open.
But will Chelsea be able to take advantage? The cut-off in Turkey is penned in for September 18.
Clubs such as Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, with none other than former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at the helm, offer a potential destination for Chilwell and fellow ‘bomb squad’ members before that date. Reports from The Telegraph reckon that Chelsea are ‘open’ to loaning Chilwell out.
However, they would ‘prefer’ a permanent sale. Other players in a similar situation include Carney Chukwuemeka, David Datro Fofana – who has been linked with a move to Greece as an alternative market that is still open – and former Fulham loan striker Armando Broja.
Deivid Washington, Alex Matos, Harvey Vale and Lukas Bergstrom are also, presumably, up for grabs. Departures for Sterling and Lukaku – which came in the run-up to August 30 – followed high-profile exits for Conor Gallagher and Ian Maatsen as Maresca made his mark this summer.
They headed to Atletico Madrid and Aston Villa respectively. Aside from Turkey, the other open transfer markets are Austria (September 5) and Belgium (September 6) but, financially speaking, Super Lig outfits represent a far more realistic – and possibly only – proposition for Chelsea to explore.
