Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea’s £1.2 billion purchasing ingest is far from finished if they can acquire a top centre-forward. The Blues are now discussing a player-plus-cash deal for Napoli’s £100 million-rated Victor Osimhen, while Romelu Lukaku is projected to leave before the transfer window shuts next week. And, after winning his first Europa Conferences League play-off versus Servette on Thursday night, Maresca stated: “If we get the opportunity to bring in a No.9 whom can help us, we’ll certainly try.
The new Chelsea manager has invested more than £200 million on ten fresh recruits during the summer months, raising the club’s transfer spending to £1.2 billion in two years under Todd Boehly’s ownership. Joao Felix, the latest furthermore, might play for Wolves on Sunday as Maresca reorganizes the pack once more.
However, Nigerian international Osimhen, who became Europe’s hottest property after scoring 31 goals for Napoli in the 2022/23 season, maintains Chelsea’s top target – assuming they can eliminate players with equal aggregate value from the payroll before the market closes next week.
Maresca, whose 18-year-old asset Marc Guiu missed a spectacular triple against Servette, said: “If we sign for the sake of signing, we should not sign anymore because we don’t need to sign players just for the fun of it. But if we want to sign players to help us progress, we will do so; otherwise, we are content with the way things are. When asked if a center forward was his priority, he responded, “Because of Marc?” I adore Marc; he deserves his chances even if he does not score. But if there is a possibility to bring in a No.9 who can help us, we will try; otherwise, we will be fine.
Maresca recognized that it was necessary to release players in order to reduce the club’s bloated squad of 42 players. Raheem Sterling, the club’s highest earning at £325,000 per week, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Trevoh Chalobah were all set to be transferred out to help Chelsea comply with financial spending guidelines.
Maresca stated, “When you don’t find a solution, you can generate difficulties, but right now, with the roster that we have, I am working with 21, 22, 23 players because it is impossible for any manager in the world to conduct a session with 42 players. Certainly, you cannot do that. “Hopefully, when the window is finished, if we find a solution for them (unwanted players) it is better – but if we don’t find a solution, I don’t know what we’re going to see.” Felix, who made a sensational start for an hour before being sent off at Fulham on his first Chelsea debut on loan in January 2023, is ready to make his second appearance for the Blues at Molineux. Maresca remarked, “He definitely has a chance to play. He needs more time to comprehend how we want to play, but overall, I believe he can participate.
He is old enough to comprehend what he needs to do and to learn from his previous mistakes (at Fulham). He has the potential to be a top player; I’ve known Joao for many years, and now that I’m working with him, I’ll get to know him much better.
