Enzo Maresca answers questions about Chelsea's extremely long contracts
Enzo Maresca was in no mood for tough questions during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
He Chelsea The boss faced reporters ahead of the Blues' Europa Conference League play-off first leg against Swiss side Servette.
The Italian has barely settled in at Stamford Bridge but has been inundated with questions surrounding club affairs.
Following the controversy surrounding The consequences of Enzo Fernandez With members of the Chelsea squad accused of taking part in the Argentinian players' racial chant against French stars of African descent, Maresca could be forgiven for thinking all the focus would be on match-building.
Instead, Maresca has found himself embroiled in a battle with sections of the media who have questioned the Chelsea manager over which of the 41 registered players fit into his plans.
More recently, the former Leicester City The director was pressed about the length of contracts awarded to the club's new signings.
A report on Tuesday revealed that Chelsea's remaining stars have a combined total of 191 years left on their contracts, while second-placed Tottenham are far behind at 97 years.
The eight- and nine-year deals awarded to players like Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Mykhailo Mudryk and Cole Palmer have been far from the conventional approach.
And the issue was raised again on Wednesday after the club completed the signing of Joao Felix on a six-year contract.
Maresca, who had expected questions to focus on Thursday's draw, responded sharply to a talkSPORT reporter who again raised the question of whether the length of players' contracts on or off his plans would affect their stay at the club or not.
“They can have 20-year contracts. I don't care, it's not my problem, I'm here to make the right decisions for the team,” said a cool Maresca.
Two players considered surplus are English internationals Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling, who were left out of Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City.
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Maresca had already informed Chilwell that it would be best for him to look for another club. Manchester United They have since been linked with a possible signing of the star.
Meanwhile, Sterling appears to have played his last game for the club after his The representatives issued a statement sharing his disappointment and surprise at his omission from the squad for Sunday's match.
The 29-year-old has suffered another blow after the Chelsea manager left him out of the squad to face Servette.
“They train separately,” Maresca told reporters about the future of both. “The situation of both is quite clear. We have a large squad and it is impossible to give minutes to everyone. If they are looking for minutes, it is better for them to leave.”
“I try to be honest. I spoke to Raheem before the game against Manchester City. I told him that he would struggle to get minutes with us and that was the reason he was out.
“And Chilly is a lovely guy, but I told him I was going to have problems with his position. He's not brutal, he's just honest.”
