Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca admits 'more than' 15 players are not even training with squad

DONE DEAL: Joao Felix has completed his transfer to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid on a seven-year contract

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is confident new signing Joao Felix can make a big impact back at Stamford Bridge.

The 24-year-old Portugal forward has joined for a reported £36million in a deal which helped facilitate Conor Gallagher's move in the opposite direction, which was also confirmed on Wednesday.

Felix made 20 appearances in all competitions during a six-month loan spell with the Blues in the second half of the 2022-23 season, scoring four times before spending the last campaign on loan at Barcelona.

Maresca told a press conference: "He is a good player, a talent. The club already knows him from two years ago. He can play different positions with us, inside, as a nine, outside."

Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, has no expectation of featuring for Chelsea this season after being told by new head coach Maresca that he is not in his plans, it is understood.

Sterling has been excluded from the squad to face Swiss side Servette in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, having also been left out of the group that lost 2-0 to Manchester City in Sunday's Premier League opener.

Commenting on the situtaion with Sterling and defender Ben Chilwell, also not currently involved in the first team, Maresca said: "In this moment, they are training apart (from the squad). As I said, the situation with both of them is quite clear, there is not any update on the situation."

The Blues boss added: "Until they aren't Chelsea players, they will be Chelsea players. We have a big squad, for me it's impossible to give everyone minutes so if they're looking for minutes, probably it is better to leave and in case they don't leave they have a contract here, they are Chelsea players."

Maresca admits it is "almost impossible" to keep all the players happy.

"The only thing I can say is that I try to be honest with all of them in this moment, the noise is from outside. More than 15 players, they are training apart, they are not with the team," the former Leicester boss said.

"I spoke with Raheem (Sterling) before Manchester City, I said that he is going to struggle to get minutes with us. With Chilly (Chilwell) I said he is a lovely guy, but with his position, he's going to struggle with us. It's not brutal, it's honest."

Despite all of the transfer deals, Maresca insisted the squad was "not a mess" as he looks to move forwards following an opening 2-0 defeat by champions Manchester City.

"I am not working with 42 players, I am working with 21 players (in first-team training)," Maresca said.

"It's not a mess like it looks from outside. The other players can even have 20 years contract, it is not my point. I don't care."