Maresca makes u-turn, restores outcast to Chelsea squad

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has restored Axel Disasi to the first team in a dramatic U-turn, having previously consigned the Frenchman to a ‘bomb squad’ for much of the season.

According to Sky Sports, the defender is set to resume first-team training.

Maresca had maintained that the 27-year-old centre-back was not part of his plans after the player refused to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer, despite interest from elsewhere.

Since the close of the transfer window, the Frenchman had been placed in Maresca’s ‘bomb squad’, meaning he was excluded from all first-team activities, including access to the kitchen and toilet facilities.

Yet, despite the indignity of the situation, the player is said to have remained hopeful that the manager would one day revise his stance.

Sky Sports now reports that the defender will be reintegrated into Chelsea’s first-team squad.

Chelsea signed Disasi for £38m from Monaco in 2023. He now returns to first-team training after captaining the club’s U21 side.

The outlet added that despite his reinstatement, the Frenchman is still expected to leave Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.