Enzo Maresca has just taken his first press conference after the international break, and the vibes should have been good.
Disasi trains “just one session” with first team
Axel Disasi playing for Chelsea's U-21 Development Squad.
Axel Disasi playing for Chelsea’s U-21 Development Squad.
Chelsea ended the last period of game with a win that took them to third place, and the squad have had two weeks to recover for the most part. But instead the presser went straight back to pure awkward tension with a chat about Axel Disasi.
The defender had been a complete outcast, training alone (or with fellow bomb squad member Raheem Sterling) all season after failing to find a move in the summer. But there had been whispers of reintegration to the first team. Maresca addressed that:
“I said many times that Axel and Raheem [Sterling] are Chelsea players. Axel is helping the second team, he’s helping the younger players. During the international break we had just five, six players here, so we need some second team players. And Axel was part of some session with second team players, but I think it was just one session with us.”
Pressed on whether he was actually therefore now a first team member again or not, the coach replied testily:
“At the moment he’s helping second team, he’s working with second team and he’s there with second team… He’s a Chelsea player and he’s with second team.”
Well, that settles that then. It still seems the most likely outcome is that he’s simply being brought up to full fitness to try and help with finding a January move.
In other presser news…
Cole Palmer has been ruled out for the next two weeks with a weird injury that Maresca said came when he stubbed his toe going for a pee in the night. Some aren’t believing that for a minute.
More Stories about Axel Disasi
Axel Disasi with a Chelsea logo.
Stamford Bridge with a generic view.
Axel Disasi with a Chelsea logo.