Ben Chilwell has broken his silence on his controversial Chelsea exit in February, revealing that he was forced to train alone before securing a loan move to Crystal Palace.
The English full-back joined the Eagles on transfer deadline day for the remainder of the season, having made just one appearance for Chelsea in all competitions this term.
Ahead of the campaign, Blues boss Enzo Maresca placed Chilwell in his infamous "bomb squad" – a group of 18 players, including Romelu Lukaku, Raheem Sterling, and Trevoh Chalobah, who has since returned to Stamford Bridge, deemed surplus to requirements.
Maresca publicly stated that it would be "probably better to leave" for Chilwell, as he did not feature in his plans.
The Italian’s treatment of Chilwell, a key figure in Chelsea’s 2020/21 Champions League triumph, drew widespread criticism from fans and former players, including ex-Blues defender Glen Johnson.
"Ben’s more than good enough to be playing for Chelsea," Johnson, who won the Premier League with the club in 2003/04, told Betfred. "And I do believe it’s silly sometimes when a new manager comes into a club with a preconceived idea of their team before they’ve even worked with the players."
"It’s evident that the players in the 'bomb squad' didn’t even get a chance to impress Maresca, so in that sense, I don’t think it’s fair on Ben Chilwell," he added.
Now, in a new interview with ITV Sport, Chilwell has opened up on his departure from West London.
"I was training by myself a lot of the days," he revealed. "You’re not involved in the matchday squads, and you just wait for the opportunity to go somewhere."
"Training alone for months isn’t easy, but the only thing that kept me going was knowing I’d get a move, whether in January or at the end of the season," he said.
Since joining Palace, Chilwell has made five appearances and used his time in exile at Chelsea to "mentally and physically realign, refocus, and reset to go again."
"There were a lot of circumstances at Chelsea that were not in my control, which I completely respect," he explained. "But what I could control was how I approached training every day – whether alone or with the group. That’s a reflection of me."
Chilwell to leave Chelsea permanently in summer
Regardless of his performances for Palace, Chilwell is set to leave Chelsea permanently this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
"I’m told it’s over between Ben Chilwell and Chelsea. He will be sold in the summer," Romano stated on his YouTube channel.
He also revealed that Axel Disasi, currently on loan at Aston Villa, and Raheem Sterling, on loan at Arsenal, are both expected to be offloaded.
Sterling, who joined Arsenal on a season-long loan in August, has struggled to make an impact, scoring just once in 23 appearances. As a result, the Gunners have opted not to sign him permanently.
"Raheem Sterling is going to return to Chelsea at the end of the season," Romano confirmed. "Arsenal are not signing the player on a permanent transfer. Chelsea’s intention is to sell Raheem Sterling and find him a new club."
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