Enzo Maresca takes U-turn on sacked Chelsea star as Cobham photo reveals surprise call-up

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca appears to have made a major U-turn on one of his axed stars as a photo from Cobham training reveals his surprise change of heart.

The Blues are back on winning ways after suffering a shock 2-1 home defeat to newly promoted Sunderland in October, with Chelsea winning three of their last four games in all competitions and briefly climbing to second place in the Premier League table.

The in-form Joao Pedro scored Chelsea’s only goal of the game to seal a dominant 1-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham, maintaining Chelsea’s impressive derby record, and followed it up with a comprehensive 3-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Wolves in their final game before the international break.

The victory came despite Maresca making eight changes from their 2-2 midweek draw against Qarabağ in the Champions League, continuing their rotation policy which has seen a total of 93 starters make eleven changes in all competitions so far this season – the most of any Premier League team.

Their plethora of injury problems throughout the campaign, which saw Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong all sidelined at various times, forced Maresca’s hand in that regard.

Chelsea also have 25 players in their squad who have enjoyed at least 45 minutes of play this season, with only Nottingham Forest and West Ham (24) coming close to that number.

Two of the only Chelsea players who haven’t seen a single minute so far are bomb squad outcasts Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.

Both men, after failing to secure a start this summer, have been training in isolation, with Sterling causing quite a stir when he posted an image of himself training alone and very late at night in what looked like a sterile training complex.

The social media post even prompted the PFA to step in and ensure Chelsea were not treating the duo unfairly, after Maresca had previously said there was no way back for either man and they would continue to train away from the squad.

When asked if they could return to the first team, Maresca’s response was brief, and it was a resounding ‘no’ (The Mail).

Sterling, who spent last season on a failed loan spell at Arsenal, has been linked with a move to Celtic ahead of the January window. Disasi, meanwhile, was surprisingly spotted training with the first team this week – although Maresca previously said there was no way.

Enzo Maresca makes U-turn on Axel Disasi as Cobham photo reveals surprise call

In a twist, The Mail shared a photo of Disasi’s Cobham sparring with Liam Delap during an international break session, with Maresca now going back on his word and allowing the Frenchman to compete with his team after all.

While there is still no sign of Sterling, Disasi’s recall to first-team training is an intriguing development, and one that will have spectators wondering if he has done enough to win back Maresca’s favor.

After playing just 18% of available Premier League minutes under Maresca last season, Disasi failed to establish himself as a regular starter domestically, despite captaining them in the Conference League and playing largely as an emergency right-back.

Aston Villa sealed his loan signing for the remainder of 2024/2025 last January, after Disasi reportedly rejected a loan move to Tottenham, insisting on competing with Unai Emery’s side in the Champions League.

Disasi’s brief flashes ultimately failed to convince Villa to make the move permanent, and when the summer transfer window opened, Disasi found himself in Chelsea’s famous bomb squad alongside Sterling.

After rejecting moves to Crystal Palace and West Ham, among others, and despite rumors of interest from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Disasi snubbed several opportunities, leaving him stranded at Stamford Bridge.

As the January window approaches, Maresca may well consider giving the 27-year-old a few minutes in order to attract interest from suitors, but that’s just speculation here.