Ben Chilwell is the only remaining Chelsea player to have been signed by Frank Lampard – and the England left-back looks to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge now too. The full-back was not in the Blues’ squad against Manchester City and his first-team prospects look to be slim under new manager Enzo Maresca.
Chilwell was a £45million signing from Leicester City in 2020 during Lampard’s second season in charge as the west London club emerged from a transfer ban. Chilwell proved to be a standout player early on in his Chelsea career and jostled with Luke Shaw to be England’s starting left-back, but has since lost his place to Marc Cucurella at club level.
An injury-hit campaign saw Chilwell limited to nine league starts last term and he looks to be one of many players in Chelsea’s bloated squad that will be heading for the exit door before next Friday’s transfer deadline. Despite missing out on a place at Euro 2024 and being given limited minutes in pre-season, several Premier League sides have been tipped to make a move for the former Leicester star.
Manchester United have been tentatively linked with a move for Chilwell as Shaw continues to struggle with a calf injury and Tyrell Malacia has been sidelined since the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Bookmaker Betfair lists United as favourites for his signature (7/4), despite their existing options.
West Ham United have been active in the transfer market this summer and have been touted for another high-profile move, with Chilwell valued at 5/1 to challenge Emerson for the Hammers’ left-back berth. Brentford (7/1) are viewed as another contender to help Chilwell get his career back on track, alongside Newcastle United and Everton (10/1), with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth rated as outside options. An emotional return to the Foxes is priced at 25/1.
Malang Sarr’s move to Lens earlier this summer means that Chilwell is the last of the seven players signed by Lamapard to remain at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s squad against Man City at the weekend also did not include a single player from their 2021 Champions League-winning team.
New boss Maresca has made it clear that Chilwell is free to leave the club. Chelsea will be keen to cash in on squad players as the window begins to come to a close, having made a further nine signings this summer.
“At this moment, Chilly is with us. He has not been training in the past two days because he was a little bit ill,” Maresca explained. “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.”
