Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that he advised Carney Chukwuemeka to leave the club during the summer transfer window.
The 20-year-old winger, who joined Chelsea in 2022, has struggled for game time under Maresca this season, making only one appearance in the Carabao Cup against Barrow.
Speaking after Chelsea’s 4-2 victory over Brighton, Maresca explained that he felt it would have been better for Chukwuemeka to seek regular playing time elsewhere.
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“I’ve said it many times: Carney is a very good player, but with the number of players we have, we decided at the start of the season it was probably better for him to leave and play 30 or 35 games rather than stay here and play less. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. He’s still our player.”
Chukwuemeka has had limited involvement this season, with Maresca noting that while he got some minutes recently, he was not involved in the Brighton game.