Ben Chilwell eyes World Cup and opportunity to give ‘the biggest middle finger’ to his critics

Ben Chilwell aims to give “the biggest middle finger” to those who wrote him off after targeting a place in England’s World Cup squad.

Chilwell is relaunching his career at Strasbourg after leaving Chelsea in the last transfer window following an injury-plagued end to his career at Stanford Bridge.

Exiled to the club’s ‘bomb squad’ under Enzo Maresca, Chilwell opted to leave and start again in France. He admits that making the World Cup remains a distant goal, but he is determined to give himself the best opportunity.

He told BBC Sport: “What a story it would be if I went to the World Cup after being at the World Cup. [Chelsea] the bomb squad and everyone else had written me out 12 months before.

“It would just be the biggest middle finger to so many people, which for me is motivation. Chelsea has been honest with me and there’s no hard feelings, but of course I have an ego, so it would be a nice feeling to prove some people wrong.”

Tuchel spoke to Chilwell about potential England return

Chilwell won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, playing under current Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel before ACL and hamstring problems saw him dropped by club and country.

Tuchel is fit to select former Chelsea players who have gone abroad – AC Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek was recently selected in a move to left field – and Chilwell confirmed he has spoken to the German about his chances.

“Probably 99 out of 100 people say, ‘No, he’s not going and it’s impossible to go to the World Cup,'” he said.

“We’ve had conversations since he got the England job. I’ll try to phrase it correctly – it’s been said it’s not out of the equation.”

No problem with Maresca, insists Chilwell

Strasbourg are fifth in Ligue 1, with Chilwell having played all but two of their league matches this season. The 28-year-old insists he has no problems with Maresca, despite being forced out of the London club due to the Italian’s belief he could not play an inverted full-back role.

“I definitely knew I could have played this role,” Chilwell said.

“I played center until I was 12 and even with Thomas [Tuchel]when we played a three-man defense, I would make runs to the attacking positions, or because Toni Rudiger liked to drive with the ball, I would go inside. I could have done it, but I just didn’t have the opportunity.

Strasbourg face Crystal Palace – who Chilwell spent on loan with last season – tomorrow night in the Europa League.