Maresca on Chelsea transfer business and weekend friendlies against Leverkusen and AC Milan

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Maresca on Chelsea transfer business and weekend friendlies against Leverkusen and AC Milan  07/08/2025  Cobham Training centre, Surrey, UK

Transcript

00:00Okay, good morning and thank you for joining us ahead of the Visit Malta Weekender at Stamford

00:24Bridge which begins tomorrow with Bayer Leverkusen's visit and then concludes on Sunday with AC Milan's.

00:32We're joined by Chelsea Football Club head coach Enzo Mureska and we will begin with Gail Davis and Sky Sports News.

00:41Off you go Gail.

00:42Good morning. After the highs of a couple of weeks ago, how was it getting back into training?

00:51Physically and mentally, do you feel that you're ready to go again? It's a little bit of an unknown, isn't it?

00:58Yeah, we need to be ready in any case. It's important to start again in the way we finished last season,

01:10knowing that it has been a strange end. It's something that has happened for the first time.

01:21We need to see how we adapt but for sure we need to be ready.

01:26You've got a lot of your business done quite early, clearly there's probably still more you want to do,

01:31but how happy are you with the squads that you've got and how do you feel it's going to be the best way to integrate some of these players?

01:39I feel very happy about the new signings because they are the ones that we were looking at, so very happy on that.

01:53For sure they need time, first of all because Jamie is the only one who knows a little bit.

02:01The country, the Premier League, even if it's very young, the rest come from different countries and they need to adapt.

02:09So no rush on them, we're going to give them time to adapt.

02:13Players like Ato, for instance Esteval, they need to adapt.

02:21Fortunately for us, Dario, Andre, Liam, Joao, they were already with us in the USA, so it's much more easy for them.

02:31And Jeter is the one, the newest one, I guess, to be added to your ranks.

02:35He's got a very impressive looking CV that comes with kind of leadership from the end of about 17 years.

02:42What did you like about him when you met him and how do you feel that he'll give you,

02:47what do you feel he'll give you in terms of your squad you don't really have?

02:51For me, the biggest mistake we can do with him is to put him under pressure

02:59in terms of he's very young, he needs to adapt.

03:03I met him for the first time in the USA when we played against the Palmeiras.

03:07He's a fantastic player, he's very young, he's a happy boy, he's always laughing,

03:15typical from a Brazilian guy, and we need to keep him happy.

03:20Ah, sorry, sorry, I understand, sorry, sorry.

03:25No, no, no, no, my understanding is terrible.

03:30He comes with quite a lot of pedigree to be captain in Ajax since 17,

03:34to be already part of that Dutch set-up since 2023.

03:38What did you like about him?

03:40Because maybe leadership was something that everyone needs more leaders in their side.

03:45What have you seen in him?

03:46It's much more mature than his age, as you said, already captain and these kind of things,

03:52but even with him the message is exactly the same.

03:56Different country, different league, different tempo, different intensity.

04:01So he needs to adapt, but for sure, no doubt that he's going to help us.

04:06In terms of the wish list before it shuts, how many more are you looking to come in?

04:14I mean, clearly, you can recover a bit later.

04:17But for you, if you started the season with the squad you've got,

04:20how happy would you be?

04:22I think, I've said already many times, until the window transfer is open,

04:27anything can happen in terms of player life and then anything can happen in terms of player relief.

04:33We had a problem the last two days about Levi Colwell,

04:39that we don't know how long he's going to be out.

04:42So for us, we see hopefully not too long, but for sure it's a problem for us.

04:48What sort of problem?

04:50We need to wait, we don't know yet.

04:52Kieran?

04:53Hi Enzo, how are you?

04:55There's a lot of noise around Nicolas Jackson, clubs who need a striker,

05:00and he's obviously a very good striker.

05:02I would say Chelsea wouldn't let him go on the chase,

05:04but would you prefer him to stay this summer to fight for his place?

05:09How do you think he's dealing with so many reports linking him to Newcastle, etc.?

05:16No, Niko, it's okay, it's okay. I think as I just said now,

05:21when the window transfer is open, unfortunately or fortunately, anything can happen.

05:26So this also involves Niko's situation.

05:31At the moment, there have arrived two strikers, both of them in the USA, Joao and Liam.

05:37So we see what's happening.

05:39Niko?

05:40Hi Enzo, I just wanted to ask you a bit more about pre-season.

05:44Are you worried at all that you might not be fitter as the other teams

05:48when you start the season?

05:49Crystal Palace, I think, they began pre-season the day after you won the Club World Cup,

05:53so do you think that's going to cause any problems for next season?

05:56That you might not be a fit?

05:58I don't know the answer, to be honest.

06:00I'm quite curious because it's the first time I've been, so I don't know.

06:04It's strange, it's different, and I really don't know.

06:10I'm curious because, as you said, Palace start the day after we finish in the USA,

06:14we are three weeks off.

06:16Now we start two days ago, we have two friendly games in 48 hours,

06:20and then we go for the Premier League, so I don't know.

06:23We see game by game, day by day how we are, but I don't know.

06:28Have you done anything special, you or the medical staff or the fitness staff,

06:32in preparing the team for this unique, never-before-happened situation?

06:37No, the focus was just to allow them to recover, because we played 64 games,

06:43they never stopped for more than one year in a row.

06:47That is something that is not going to happen.

06:49It never happened before.

06:51So, the main focus was just to allow players to recover,

06:55come back here, try to do our best, and then we see game by game.

06:59Thank you, Nizal.

07:01Neil?

07:02Just on how much to compensate for the physical tiredness,

07:05can the feel-good factor from last season help you at the start of the season?

07:09I don't know if you're coming back again, back to the training,

07:11do you feel that players are up after the success at the end of last season?

07:15Can that carry on?

07:17Yeah, I can say that the mood is, I don't know if it's correct to say it's different,

07:24but it's much better in terms of when you finish the season in the way we finish,

07:29quite strong, you know, top five, conference and then the Club World Cup.

07:32So, in any case, I think it's going to give players more energy, more boost.

07:38But as I said, we need to see how we manage this kind of situation that is new for everyone.

07:47Can I ask you, how many days did you actually have off if you didn't do anything here?

07:52I was the day after when we finished in USA for three weeks,

07:59you know, for the manager you are always involved in a decision,

08:03players arrive, players leave, so it's difficult to switch off.

08:08Dan?

08:10We're always talking about players coming in, understandably,

08:13but has it been as important this summer for the club to get its business done

08:18getting players out so that you have a manageable squad.

08:23So you don't have 40 players to manage, you want fewer than that.

08:27And in particular, last summer there was a lot of talk around, you know,

08:31a bomb squad with people like Raheem and Ben Chua not being involved.

08:37What's the situation with them and how important is it just for them as individuals

08:41to find somewhere new?

08:44The situation, I think, is quite clear, they are training.

08:50I guess they are waiting for a solution, but when they leave,

08:57it's just the club that they text me or they call me, even Tom,

09:02and that just mentioned to me that Lesley joined Burnley.

09:09I have this kind of news from him or from the club because I don't pay attention

09:16with the ones that they are training and they need to leave.

09:22I just focus on how we prepare the session, how we can win games,

09:26and this kind of news from Tom, from the club.

09:30What is the balance, though, between having enough players to cope with the demands

09:35of the season, especially after a short summer, and having too many to look after?

09:42For sure it's much better to work with 25 players than the biggest number, no doubt.

09:50In this moment we are working with the ones that we want,

09:56and we see it from now until the window transfer finish.

10:00Thanks, Tom. Lim?

10:02Hi, Enzo. What's your approach going to be for these two friendlies?

10:07They're obviously the only friendly action you'll get before Premier League starts.

10:11Are you going to try and get minutes into as many players as possible,

10:14try some tactical things as well?

10:16Yeah, we're going to try for sure to share minutes with all of them.

10:21Some of them, like Atto, they start very early compared to us,

10:26so we're going to try to share minutes with all of them,

10:29and we'll see if we are going to try some different things in terms of tactical for the season.

10:37Will that be important in terms of giving you more information

10:40as to where players are physically in the Palace game?

10:43Yes, knowing that I can see them in the last two or three days

10:48where we are physically.

10:51We have now two friends in the game,

10:53we're going to try to share minutes,

10:55and then we'll focus on Palace game.

10:58Thanks, Lim.

10:59Simon?

11:00Enzo, just on Esteval, where do you see him fitting in the team?

11:04I will answer on Anto now.

11:09Where do you see him fitting in the team in terms of what position?

11:12How wide is the number ten? Where do you think he can fit?

11:14He can play everywhere. He's so good.

11:17For me it's like Cole in terms of position.

11:22He can play outside, he can play inside, he can play everywhere.

11:25In our five attacking position, for me he can play everywhere.

11:29There's so much sort of talk around and excitement.

11:32Is your biggest challenge to try and control that and try to make pressure off his shoulder?

11:38Yeah, it's on him.

11:39Probably with him it's a little bit more,

11:41we need to pay a little bit more attention,

11:44because first of all he's from the other part of the world,

11:47and also he's very, very young.

11:50So we need to pay attention.

11:52As I said, not under pressure, give him happiness,

11:55give him time, he needs to adapt.

11:57Hopefully we can give him minutes,

11:59so he's even more happy.

12:01But for sure he's a talent player.

12:06Thanks Simon.

12:07Peter?

12:08Just to go back to Levi Colwell,

12:11does that change anything in terms of planning the transfer market?

12:14How serious is it?

12:16Depends.

12:17We need to wait and then we see.

12:20But as I said, we know each other from last year

12:23and you know in our way how important has been Levi.

12:29I spoke with him yesterday and I told him

12:32if we achieve what we achieved last year,

12:35it's also because of him and he was a main player for us.

12:39You saw Wesley Profan has come back into training.

12:42What's his situation?

12:43How ready is he?

12:44Obviously without Colwell,

12:46it might be a little tricky I suppose.

12:48Wes is back, he's training with us.

12:51I don't think he's ready to get minutes in the next two games,

12:55but probably can be available for Palace game.

12:58This is big news because we started last season,

13:04the first 5-6 month with Wes and Levi,

13:08our two centre defenders.

13:11Jack?

13:12Enzo, just on Levi to clarify what happened,

13:15whether it was an injury in training or something?

13:17Yeah, it was the first session on Monday,

13:20just in the last minutes of the session.

13:22He felt something and as I said,

13:24we need to wait and then we see.

13:26OK, thanks everyone.

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