Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has dismissed the possibility of recalling Andrey Santos or Lesley Ugochukwu from their respective loan spells, despite the potential absence of key midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia due to muscle fatigue.
The Blues are facing a crucial Premier League clash against Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Monday, with a depleted squad.
In addition to Fernandez and Lavia’s fitness concerns, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is sidelined with an injury, while defenders Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are also unavailable.
Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill are also doubts after picking up knocks in last week’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
To bolster their defensive options, Chelsea have already recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace and Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors.
However, Maresca believes that recalling Santos and Ugochukwu is unnecessary at this time.
“No, because we don’t know if it’s a problem for Enzo or Lavia, just that we don’t know if they’ll play against Wolves,” the Italian manager stated.
Santos, a highly-rated young midfielder, joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama in January 2023 but has yet to make a senior appearance for the club.
He spent the first half of last season on loan at Nottingham Forest before being recalled and sent to Strasbourg, where he impressed and extended his loan for another season.
Ugochukwu arrived from Rennes in August 2023 and made a handful of appearances for Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino before being loaned to Southampton.
