Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca confirms star training alone and ruled out of Man City clash

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed Conor Gallagher is training alone after returning to the club from Spain. The midfielder, whose proposed move to Atletico Madrid fell through despite him agreeing personal terms with the La Liga side, will not be considered for the clash with Manchester City on Sunday.

And Maresca also said the club and player were continuing to work on his future.

“Conor is back. He is training apart,” said the Italian in his pre-match press conference.

“He is doing some medical tests and some training. He won’t be involved in the game. At this moment, he is trying to find a solution with the club.”

Denying the situation was proving problematic, Maresca added: “These kind of things happen every summer, at City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and so on. All clubs have problems because they have players they want to leave, but hopefully everyone can end up happy. Hopefully for Conor this situation will finish where the player, club, manager, everyone involved, are happy.”

Gallagher’s transfer reportedly fell through after the west London club were unable to negotiate Samu Omorodion moving in the other direction. Chelsea have now been linked with an alternative swap arrangement with Atletico forward Joao Felix.

Speculation has also been rife over a move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. However, the new manager refused to reveal whether the club had opened discussions with either star.

“The only thing I can say, I have to say the same, they are not our players,” he replied. “So it’s not correct to talk about a Napoli player or an Atletico Madrid player.”

As well as Gallagher, Reece James will miss Sunday’s game with the champions with injury. But Maresca insisted the clash represented a good opportunity for his new side to showcase their ability.

“After eight or nine years together (Man City), you can do different things,” he said. “Pep is not a manager that does the same things, he is always changing. It’s always a good moment (to play City), a good opportunity to show ourselves against the champions.

Maresca refused to expand on what he felt would be a successful maiden season in charge. However, he backed his squad to challenge the elite again if they are afforded time and patience, adding: “I am 100 per cent sure that this thing is getting better every game and with time we will close the gap with the clubs that are dominating English football.”