Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has dismissed the idea that ‘bomb squad’ members Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi are receiving substandard treatment by the club, amid a Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) probe.
For months, the headline story around the Blues has been their seemingly excessive spending and their unquenchable thirst to add a never-ending stream of talent to their squad.
The consequences of that, to some extent, are now being felt, with the PFA investigating the treatment of Sterling and Disasi, who have found themselves axed from the first team and are now training separately.
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Maresca evokes fisherman father in Sterling and Disasi PFA drama
Sterling has been excluded from Chelsea’s squad, having spent last season on loan with Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)
FIFA has strict rules to ensure players isolated from the main squad have sufficient access to facilities to train, and that their exclusion does not equate to ‘abusive conduct’ by the club.
The PFA launched its investigation to ensure Chelsea are operating within those guidelines with regard to Sterling and Disasi, something Maresca seemed to have little time for in a recent press conference.
Maresca showed little sympathy for the isolated pair in a recent press conference (Image credit: Getty Images)
“For sure, I know it is not the best feeling for a player,” Maresca admitted, revealing he’s been in a similar situation himself during his playing days. “For different reasons, the situation is the situation at the moment, but I know the club is giving them the situation to work in the right way.
“My father is 75 years old, and for 50 years he’s been a fisherman, working from two o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock in the morning.
“This is a hard life – not the way a player works.”
According to the BBC, Chelsea offered Sterling moves to Bayern Munich and Napoli over the summer, which were rejected as he wants to stay close to his son, who is in Arsenal’s academy, while Disasi reportedly rejected loan moves to Bournemouth, Sunderland and West Ham.
Disasi went on loan to Aston Villa last season, but reportedly rejected a trio of Premier League temporary switches this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it is, of course, a good thing that bodies like the PFA exist to fight for players’ rights against powerful Premier League clubs, but there is probably a kernel of truth to Maresca’s dismissive attitude.
The controversy was sparked in part by Sterling posting himself training at 8pm in the evening. While not ideal, for his £325k-a-week salary, it could be worse.
Having said that, it’s worth clarifying that there have been no reported complaints from either Sterling or Disasi in the centre of this. At this stage, it is merely the PFA carrying out an exploratory check.
Sterling is valued at €10m, according to Transfermarkt, who place Disasi’s worth at €22m. Chelsea next face Manchester United when Premier League action returns this weekend.
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