Ben Chilwell is the last Chelsea player signed in the Frank Lampard era – and he may be leaving now too.
The England left-back was absent from the Blues’ squad for their Premier League opener versus Manchester City, and his prospects under new manager Enzo Maresca seem bleak.
Chilwell joined Chelsea in 2020 in a £45million deal from Leicester City during Lampard’s second season at the helm as the west London club emerged from a transfer ban.
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He quickly became a standout player for both club and country, competing with Luke Shaw for the position of England’s starting left-back – but has since been replaced by Marc Cucurella at club level.
An injury-plagued season saw Chilwell limited to just nine league starts last campaign, and he seems set to join the exodus from Chelsea’s large squad before next Friday’s transfer deadline.
Despite missing out on Euro 2024 and receiving limited pre-season playtime, several Premier League clubs are rumoured to be interested in the former Leicester star.
Manchester United have been loosely linked with a move for Chilwell as Shaw continues to grapple with a calf injury and Tyrell Malacia has been out of action since the end of the 2022/23 season. Betfair has listed United as favourites to secure his signature (7/4), despite their existing options.
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West Ham, who have been in the thick of the summer transfer business, are now rumoured to be eyeing up a move for Chilwell. The Hammers are rated next best at 5/1 to nab him as a potential rival to Emerson.
Brentford are also in the frame at 7/1, with Newcastle United and Everton lurking at 10/1. Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are on the outskirts of this transfer tussle, while an emotional reunion with Leicester City remains a long shot of 25/1.
Malang Sarr’s departure to Lens earlier in this transfer window marked Chilwell out as the lone ranger from Lampard’s seven-signing spree still hanging his boots at Stamford Bridge. The squad that faced Man City at the weekend didn’t feature any players from the Blues historic 2021 Champions League triumph over the same team.
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Chelsea boss Maresca has confirmed the door is open for Chilwell’s exit. With a bulging squad after nine more recruits this summer, the club are itching to offload surplus players as the transfer clock ticks down.
Maresca said: “At this moment, Chilly is with us. He has not been training in the past two days because he was a little bit ill. With Chilly it’s quite clear, I love the way he trains, I love the way he is but the problem is that he struggles with us a little bit to find his best position.
“When you train everyday and you don’t get minutes, it’s not good for them and it’s not good for me because I need to make decisions. For some players, it’s sometimes better to leave and to go somewhere to get minutes. We will see what happens, the transfer window is open and we will see what happens.”