Chelsea fans are pretty set on who would be starting in their best possible team going into the new season, however one player is beginning to win over important staff at the club.
Enzo Maresca walked into a large Blues squad 12 months ago, and therefore struggled to give everyone the minutes they thought they deserved.
This is why the Conference League was such an important competition for Chelsea in order to continue to hand opportunities to players who were not starting regularly in the Premier League.
One of those who was not handed many chances to start in the league was Benoit Badiashile. The Frenchman had made just five appearances last season, starting four games.
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Chelsea staff being won over by Benoit Badiashile
This has led to plenty of speculation over his future, with reports earlier this summer suggesting that Chelsea had told Badiashile to find a new club.
However, there are no real concrete links to another side at this stage, and it looks as if the former Monaco man is set to begin the new season as a Chelsea player, despite picking up an injury at the Club World Cup.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that the Frenchman is expected to return next month from injury, and is beginning to win over people at the club that he could be ready for regular Premier League starts.
He said to the London is Blue podcast: “I think it’s a September return for Benoit Badiashile. We’re not looking at too far off, nor was the injury so bad that they’ve had too many concerns. Badiashile, starting to have, I think, a lot of support within Chelsea that his development is not just on track, but he’s ready to play in Premier League games and be consistent.”
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Big chance for Badiashile in 25/26
One of the biggest reasons why Badiashile could not secure regular minutes last season was due to the brilliance of Levi Colwill, who had quickly made himself one of Maresca’s key players.
The England international is now set to miss the majority of the season due to a serious knee injury suffered in training, and the Blues do not look set to sign a new player as a result.
While Jorrel Hato can certainly play in that position, the chance is there for Badiashile to stake his claim for the new season.
With him unavailable for the season opener against Crystal Palace, it is expected that the Blues are going to name Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo at the back on Sunday.