Premier League

CHELSEA are paying their 13-man ‘bomb squad’ a staggering £1.25MILLION per week. New Blues boss Enzo Maresca has ruthlessly axed the group because they are not part of his plans in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling have been pushed aside by Enzo MarescaCredit: Richard Pelham / The SunTrevoh Chalobah is not part of the new manager’s plans and is in the 13-man bomb squadCredit: GettyThat means there is more than £250million worth of signings currently training away from the first-team squad under the watchful eye of ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini. And the unlucky 13 are being paid a whopping amount despite being nowhere near the first team. SunSport has crunched the numbers according to Spotrac’s wages to work out just how much Todd Boehly and Co are splashing out on the likes of Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling. So, from lowest earners to the highest…READ MORE ON CHELSEALucas Bergstrom – £3,000 per weekThe 21-year-old Finnish goalkeeper joined the academy in 2018 but has made just three Under-21 appearances and none for the first team.He is behind four goalkeepers at Chelsea and Maresca has decided he does not need Bergstrom in his training sessions as well – making him the lowest-paid member of the bomb squad. Alex Matos – £5,500Matos signed for Chelsea a year ago and made his debut last October against Fulham in the Premier League on the day before his 19th birthday. But he will not be adding to that solo Prem appearance anytime soon and will hope to secure a loan exit before deadline day.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSAngelo Gabriel – £25,000The whole host of wingers in Chelsea’s bloated squad means there is no space for Angelo Gabriel.The Brazilian teenager earns a reported £25,000 per week – and few clubs wanting to take him on loan will cover those wages. Why Joao Felix’s transfer to Chelsea is not as crazy is it soundsHarvey Vale – £26,000Harvey Vale is certainly versatile – but the problem at Chelsea is there is no lack of strength in depth. His £26,000-a-week is not reaping much reward on the Blues’ investment. Tino Anjorin – £27,000Anjorin earns a similar amount to train with the Maresca outcasts at Cobham. A return to Portsmouth on loan could be on the cards after helping Pompey to promotion last season. David Datro Fofana – £30,000Fofana’s hopes of being the first-choice No9 Ivory Coast will take a big hit if he is not getting regular first-team action.But he is not close to getting that at Chelsea as he finds himself way down the pecking order.Deivid Washington – £40,000Chelsea are paying Washington £40,000 a week to train in the bomb squad.Like Angelo, this will not be what the Brazilian youngster had in mind when he made his big move to London – and hopes it does not set the trend for the remaining six years of his deal. Armando Broja – £40,000Like Fofana, Broja is behind the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and now Joao Felix as the players who can play up front for Chelsea this season.He had a dismal loan spell at Fulham and is likely to exit Stamford Bridge before the transfer window deadline. Trevoh Chalobah – £50,000Chalobah’s Chelsea career looks to be over with another manager not fancying the defender. And his £50,000-a-week salary will mean the Blues are keen to get him off the wage bill with Aston Villa, Newcastle and Crystal Palace all interested.Chelsea ratings vs ServetteCHELSEA sealed their first win under new manager Enzo Maresca as they beat Swiss minnows Servette.Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke got the second-half goals to give the Blues a commanding lead in their Uefa Conference League play-off double header.But it was far from convincing with Chelsea BOOED OFF at half-time.Here’s how SunSport’s Jack Rosser rated the Blues stars…Filip Jorgensen – 7Made some very smart saves – especially late on as the visitors caused problems and came close to finding a goal to get back in.Axel Disasi – 6Kept things quiet down Chelsea’s right hand side having been started out of position at right-back. The Frenchman did not offer much going forwards but was more than solid enough defensively.Tosin Adarabioyo – 6An assured first start for the club since joining from Fulham on a free transfer. The defender was not caused any real problems and dominated in the air – a big reason Chelsea decided to snap him up.Benoit Badiashile – 6Solid enough defensively but looked awkward on the ball at times, especially when Chelsea were trying to pick a way through a solid midfield.Renato Veiga – 5Was given the task of moving inside from left-back and looked to struggle a lot at points, losing the ball cheaply on half way at one stage.Moises Caicedo – 5The midfielder was sent out in the holding role and hardly helped defensively by having Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Nkunku, a striker, ahead of him. Struggled to get a grip of midfield and dictate the game.Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 7A very encouraging full debut for the summer signing – neat and positive on the ball and created some good chances for those ahead of him.Pedro Neto – 6A first start for his new club and the winger made some very encouraging runs down the right hand side. Will take time to settle but looks a very good option.Christopher Nkunku – 6Rather fortunate to win the penalty as it looked a touch harsh but stepped up and converted well.Mykhailo Mudryk – 4The definition of all bark, no bite. The Ukrainian winger has pace to burn and a huge bag of tricks but neither help him make any significant impact on games.Continuing to play like that and Raheem Sterling might have a future here after all.Marc Guiu – 6Missed an absolute sitter to score his first goal for Chelsea.After working so hard through the first half, Guiu turned a tap in into a howler when putting what should have been an easy finish straight at the scrambling Servette keeper.Kepa Arrizabalaga – £150,000The first of the four ‘big hitters’ in terms of wages is the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.After returning from winning the Champions League on loan at Real Madrid, Kepa is now battling with Bergstrom to be the first-choice bomb squad goalkeeper – and earning £150,000 per week.Ben Chilwell – £200,000Maresca described Chilwell as a “lovely guy” but is clearly not a fan of him as a footballer, immediately booting him out of the squad and openly admitting he will “struggle” to get any minutes.It is a big call to make for the left-back who arrived for £50m and was made vice-captain by previous boss Mauricio Pochettino. Raheem Sterling – £325,000Sterling played in all six of Chelsea’s pre-season games before Maresca dropped the bombshell of his exclusion on the eve of the new Premier League season – then saw his No7 shirt ripped away and given to Pedro Neto. Nobody earns more than the reported £325,000 a week the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City winger is on – and will need to take a major pay cut if he secures a Premier League transfer.READ MORE SUN STORIESRomelu Lukaku – £325,000Quite simply, Lukaku’s return to Stamford Bridge has been a disaster.He is the joint top earner alongside Sterling but just like the winger, he is not getting a look in under Maresca – and must be wondering where it all went wrong. Romelu Lukaku’s Chelsea return has not gone to planCredit: AFPKepa Arrizabalaga helped Real Madrid win the Champions League on loan last seasonCredit: GettyMaresca is working with the players he wants to give time toCredit: Getty More

ASTON VILLA have held talks over a move for Raheem Sterling as he looks for a way out of Chelsea.The winger, 29, has been told he is no longer part of the plan at Stamford Bridge and has been training separately from the first team along with a number of other exiled players.Aston Villa could move for Chelsea outcast Raheem SterlingCredit: GettyA number of clubs have made enquiries as to the terms of a deal for the former Manchester City man.Villa have expressed interest but talks are at an early stage. Sterling would prefer to stay in the Premier League though his wages of more than £300,000-a-week are likely to be an obstacle for most suitors.All sides expect that Sterling would have to take a wage cut to move.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSThe Blues are currently working on options for a move and will present them to the former Liverpool man.It is not clear what sort of fee Chelsea would demand, though they cannot have hopes for anything close to the £50million paid to City given the club have made it clear the winger is not wanted.Sterling has been excluded from Chelsea’s two match day squads this season while his squad number was given to new signing Pedro Neto.Maresca played the winger in all six of his pre-season friendlies before informing him on the Friday before the start of the season that he would not get game time in West London.Most read in FootballSterling’s camp statementA statement read: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.”He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.“Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe England international is one of up to 15 players Chelsea are looking to move on before next week’s transfer deadline.Romelu Lukaku is another high earner who needs to leave the club.Gary Neville claims Raheem Sterling ‘may be punching back on behalf of Gallagher and Chalobah’ after Chelsea statementFollow Chelsea vs Servette’s SunSport live blog here.Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is keen to bring the Belgian into Napoli.The Serie A side offered a loan deal with an obligation worth around £25.5m, though Chelsea want more for the former Everton man – who has two years on his deal.Talks between Napoli and Chelsea are scheduled in the next couple of days.Chelsea ratings vs Man CityCHELSEA began life under new boss Enzo Maresca with a 2-0 home defeat to champions Manchester City.Here’s how SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield rated the Chelsea lot as the season didn’t begin how they wanted.Robert Sanchez – 4/10Distribution-wise, it’s not good enough; that said, he made an absolutely fantastic save to deny a deflected effort from Jeremy Doku in the first half. Similarly in the second half, made a routine save to deny Erling Haaland before getting a hand to Mateo Kovacic’s shot, but failed to stop it rattling the back of the net.Malo Gusto – 5It’s more of the impressive attitude we saw last season from the flying Frenchman, but today, he couldn’t stamp his mark on the game at all going forward. We certainly see more of his best qualities in the game where Chelsea have more of the ball, he should grow into the season nicely over the next few games. Wesley Fofana – 5He didn’t look out of his depth in his first Premier League game for Chelsea for over a year, and despite conceding, it was a decent performance to build on in the coming games. Did well physically against Haaland in fairness, and made it through the 90 minutes unscathed which will please Chelsea fans in some capacity.Levi Colwill – 5Tough day at the office against physicality personified in Erling Haaland.Did play the ball well out from the back for Chelsea with a few good blocks and tackles. But much the same as with Wesley Fofana, there is room for growth into the season with easier fixtures upcoming, particularly where Chelsea will dominate on the ball.  Marc Cucurella  – 6Forced Jeremy Doku into a change of wing in the first half after winning a tough battle against the Belgian winger, and stepped into challenges well for the most part.Was solid again in the second half before going off with an injury. Romeo Lavia – 6He looked like a calming presence in the Chelsea midfield when he did get the ball and he broke up play pretty well for a player who has been out through injury for so long. Continued his good pre-season form and is deserving of a run  in the side. Moises Caicedo – 5A similar performance really to the aforementioned Lavia, but was one of Chelsea’s better progressors of the ball when they did get forwards and showed some nice touches in the middle of the park.Fans will be left wondering whether he, Lavia and Enzo Fernandez fit into the same midfield.Enzo Fernandez – 5A mixed performance from the Argentine midfielder who showed promise in spells, but it really wasn’t the level you would expect of a player with his price tag.This could have been a huge game for the Chelsea captain for the day, but he failed to really stamp his mark on it in comparison to the player whom he replaced, Mateo Kovacic.Christopher Nkunku – 4Enzo Maresca seemed to want him playing as a touchline winger, but the forward looks far more comfortable in the middle of the pitch.He was the first player to be hooked in the second half and was replaced by Pedro Neto, who looked more at home wide on the left-hand side.Cole Palmer – 5It was far from the electric performance which saw him scoop heaps of praise last season. He still did show glimpses going forward, but he just failed to impact the game in the ways he did last time around.  Nicolas Jackson – 4New season, same old Nicolas Jackson.A great run in the first half was let down by a pea-roller of a shot into a Man City defender, before he hit the back of the net only to see the official’s flag raised on the far side. I’m sorry Nic Jackson, but it’s a four for you this time round…SUBS:Pedro Neto (Nkunku, 58) – 5Not the kind of debut that got fans out of their seats, but with The Blues failing to really get him on the ball there was little to take note of.Marc Guiu  (Jackson, 66) – 5Less impactful than Nicolas Jackson, but in considerably less time.For a player who can dominate physically, he looked a little intimidated by the Manchester City defence and wasn’t really presented with any chances.Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Lavia, 67) – 5Many Chelsea fans were disappointed to see Romeo Lavia come off after a good performance, and Dewsbury-Hall failed to add any of the attacking prowess we saw in the Championship last season.Renato Veiga  (Cucurella, 80) – 5He didn’t have enough time to impact the game after replacing Marc Cucurella, who had more time to establish himself as one of Chelsea’s better performers.  More