Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has described January as a “disaster” for the club, citing ongoing transfer speculation as a major factor in their recent struggles.
The Blues are winless in their last five Premier League matches and have seen their title hopes slip away.
Maresca expressed concern that rumors surrounding potential player departures are distracting his squad.
“It’s not easy,” he admitted, “because even if you think the player can be focused on us, in the end it’s a human being. So if there is any noise about some different club, probably he is not focused a hundred per cent, so it doesn’t help.”
Several players have been linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge this month, including Renato Veiga, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Cesare Casadei.
Adding to Maresca’s woes is a growing injury list. Cole Palmer is a doubt for their upcoming match against Wolves, while key players Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, and Enzo Fernandez all missed training on Friday due to injuries sustained in their recent draw with Bournemouth.
Despite the mounting challenges, Maresca insists that the team’s performances have been positive, stating, “On the pitch, we’re in a business where we all judge results. But if we judge the performances of the team, I’m happy. We create, we play.”
Chelsea have dropped from second place in the league to fifth in recent weeks and could fall as low as seventh before their Monday night clash with Wolves.
To address the team’s injury crisis, Chelsea have recalled defender Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell at Crystal Palace.
