August 27, (THEWILL) – Chelsea’s main focus during the current transfer window is to reduce their squad size to address financial concerns, according to manager Enzo Maresca. The 44-year-old Italian coach made this statement on Tuesday, highlighting the club’s need to balance its books.
Since American owner, Todd Boehly, took over two years ago, Chelsea have been active in the transfer market. The West London club have invested over £160 million in 11 new signings for the current season, including winger Pedro Neto, forward Joao Felix, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
Despite selling Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid and defender Ian Maatsen to Aston Villa, Chelsea still have more than 40 senior players registered. This large squad puts the club at risk of breaching the English Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
Maresca told the club website: “The target is to solve the economic problem in terms of selling players. From there, we try to do our best and see where we arrive.” The club’s difficulties in offloading players are well-known, with England internationals Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling among approximately 15 high-earning players currently excluded from first-team training.
The manager further explained that his primary goal is to improve the players and develop a clear playing style. “I want to see my team play the way we want to play and compete every game. I want to see on the ball a clear idea of what they want, and off the ball, a very aggressive team,” Maresca stated.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
