Enzo Maresca spoke about Ben Chilwell’s return in Friday’s press conference (Image: GETTY)
has admitted to making a ‘mistake’ by leaving out in the cold just weeks after taking over at . The defender was put up for sale in the summer but ended up staying at Stamford Bridge and appears to have been given a lifeline.
Chilwell was initially told by Maresca that he would struggle for minutes this season, paving the way for him to leave the club. The Blues were desperate to offload him but a permanent exit failed to materialise before a loan move to Turkey fell through.
The 27-year-old was named on the bench against Barrow in midweek, coming on at half-time and taking the captain’s armband for the second half. Discussing his situation on Friday, Maresca suggested he had made a mistake by judging Chilwell too quickly.
Chilwell came off the bench in midweek and could play against Brighton (Image: GETTY)
“In the moment we need him, for sure,” said the boss. “Why not? I will say again in the moment he is with us, he is one of the players and one of our players.
“If we need him, we will give him chances and minutes. We all make mistakes. I had to make a decision. Sometimes they are good and sometimes not. There is not any bad intention from me, it was just to try and think of the best thing for the club.”
It remains to be seen if Chilwell will be involved when welcome Brighton to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. He made 21 appearances in all competitions last season but spent most of the campaign on the treatment table due to injuries.
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Maresca also spoke about Romeo Lavia, who missed almost the entirety of last season with a thigh injury. He impressed in friendlies over the summer but was dealt another setback when he suffered a hamstring issue against Servette in the Conference League.
Lavia is now fit again and Maresca confirmed that he would be in the squad against Brighton, barring any further problems in training on Friday.
“Romeo is available tomorrow,” he said. “The only one [injured] is Reece [James]. We will see [if he plays tomorrow]. One more session now and we will decide, but finally, he is back.”