- Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has said he has no sympathy for exiled players Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi
- The PFA and Chelsea have made a schedule to ensure that both Sterling and Disasi train under favorable conditions during this period
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has said he has no sympathy for exiled players Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.
Sterling and Disasi are the so-called “bomb squad” players at Chelsea after failing to leave the club during the 2025 summer transfer window. The players have reportedly been training on their own, with Maresca stating that he has no place for them in his squad. The duo also change at different dressing rooms and eat alone at different times from the rest of the squad.
The Professional Footballers’ Association reached out to Chelsea this week over the conditions of the players, according to ESPN. This came after Sterling made a post on Instagram at the start of the week revealing that he was training at 8 pm, which is not favorable for a father of four children.
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The PFA and Chelsea have made a schedule to ensure that both Sterling and Disasi train under favorable conditions during this period. World’s football governing body FIFA has strict regulations over players who have been isolated from the rest of the team and are keeping an eye to ensure the players are not ‘mistreated’.
Enzo Maresca – My Dad’s Life Is Harder
When asked if the situation is challenging for Sterling and Disasi, the Blues head coach Enzo Maresca showed no remorse for the exiled players. The former Leicester City boss stated that his father is living a more difficult life, which is why he has no sympathy for Sterling and Disasi.
“My father is 75 years old and for 50 years he’s been a fisherman, working from two o’clock in the morning till 10 o’clock in the morning. This is a hard life – not the way a player works.” BBC Sport quotes Enzo Maresca.
Maresca also revealed that he was once in the same situation as Sterling and Disasi during his playing days. He understands that the players are not feeling good but he believes the club is giving the situation to work in the right way.
Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea in the summer of 2022 from Premier League rivals Manchester City. The Blues paid £50 million for his signature and offered him a massive £325,000-a-week contract.
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Sterling has struggled to impress while wearing Chelsea’s colors and even had a difficult spell while on loan at Arsenal last season. Maresca told the England international he wasn’t part of his plans for this season and advised him to move on before the transfer window closed.
Sterling attracted the interest of several top European clubs, including Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Napoli. However, the winger preferred to stay in London to remain close to his family. He preferred a move to Fulham but Chelsea failed to reach an agreement with the club.
Meanwhile, Axel Disasi preferred a loan move back to his former club Monaco. However, the French Ligue 1 club did not make a formal offer to Chelsea for the 27-year-old. Bournemouth, West Ham and Sunderland showed interest in signing Disasi, but the Frenchman turned down all three offers.
