Chelsea chiefs have been left thrilled by a fringe player who head coach Enzo Maresca barely utilizes, and he’s regarded as one of “the best” passers of a ball in Europe for his position.
Chelsea prepare for crunch Arsenal clash this weekend
After the Blues face-off against Conference League minnows Noah in the Conference League on Thursday, Maresca and co almost immediately come to blows with Premier League and London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
£195k-per-week Chelsea star worried about his future with Enzo Fernandez
The Argentine’s reportedly being targeted by Barcelona and Inter Milan.
ByEmilio GalantiniNov 6, 2024
Arsenal are enduring quite the week to forget, having just lost influential sporting director Edu Gaspar after falling seven points behind Liverpool in the title race, but Mikel Arteta could welcome back captain and chief creator Martin Odegaard for the trip across the capital.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have enjoyed a promising start under Maresca – sitting fourth and one place above Arsenal in the table. Only Tottenham and Man City boast more goals scored than Maresca’s men, who have dazzled at times with a brand of attack-minded, entertaining football.
Arsenal (home)
November 10
Leicester City (home)
November 23
Aston Villa (home)
December 1
Southampton (away)
December 4
Tottenham (home)
December 8
Indeed, their only two losses of the campaign have come against high-profile opposition in Man City and Liverpool, so Chelsea will fancy their chances against an Arsenal side who could suffer their third straight top-flight loss if things don’t go to plan for them.
Enzo Fernandez has been dropped by Maresca, and faces an uncertain future, with Moises Caicedo likely to partner Romeo Lavia in midfield again. Chelsea are also likely to go with a front four of Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer – who are all in fine form right now – while their back four could be the quartet of Reece James, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Malo Gusto.
This, unfortunately, leaves no room for defender Benoit Badiashile. The Frenchman, who’s played just over half an hour in the Premier League all season, has been linked with a move away from the club amid struggles to establish himself as a regular top-flight player.
There have been reports that Chelsea are ready to sell Badiashile in January, but this is apparently wide of the mark, as those within the club view him in very high regard.
Chelsea chiefs raving over Benoit Badiashile behind-the-scenes
According to reliable GiveMeSport reporter Ben Jacobs, taking to X, Chelsea are very impressed with Badiashile and see him as a versatile back-up option to their traditional back four.
Jacobs shared an intriguing statistic as well. Badiashile is apparently “among the best” defenders in Europe for his passing range – and Chelsea are convinced he’s set for a very bright future.
“Understand Chelsea are not looking to sell Benoit Badiashile, who remains highly-regarded at Stamford Bridge,” wrote Jacobs.
“He’s part of the long-term project and seen as having a bright future. The stats show Badiashile’s passing range is among the best for defenders in Europe, and he is progressing well at Cobham. Chelsea believe Badiashile is providing excellent competition in a highly-competitive squad. He is also versatile so can be used as a left centre-back, left-back or even partner Levi Colwill as a right centre-back, as he did against Liverpool when he came on for Tosin.”