Enzo Maresca and Chelsea have been handed the perfect transfer opportunity for squad reshuffle

With the appointment of Cesc Fabregas as head coach of Como, Chelsea now has the perfect club to loan their most gifted young players to.

Enzo Maresca and Chelsea could soon have the perfect loan opportunity in the transfer market (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Chelsea might have discovered a new transfer route as they organise for the 2024–2025 season. With a few new players joining the football team in west London, the summer is already busy for the team. However, additional transfers need to be completed before August, when Enzo Maresca will have the ideal group for games.

In addition to adding more quality to the first team roster to help them improve from finishing sixth in the previous season, the club’s outgoings will also be crucial. At the Cobham base of the club, Maresca has a sizable squad at his disposal that will only get bigger since some players who made appearances at either the Copa America or Euro 2024 this summer have yet to return to training.

Naturally, players will be leaving in the coming weeks, with both loan and permanent deals probably on the horizon. A few players may return to Strasbourg on loan after Chelsea’s owners acquired a controlling share in the French team in the summer of 2017 in order to launch their multi-club initiative.

After such a dismal loan with Nottingham Forest, winger Angelo Gabriel moved to Strasbourg last August on a season-long contract. Later in the season, fellow Brazilian Andrey Santos joined him at Stade de la Meinau. Chelsea may potentially contemplate a loan to the Italian team Como, particularly given that Cesc Fabregas has been officially announced as the team’s new head coach for a four-year term.

The Spaniard, who concluded his playing career with Como in the 2022–2023 season, was appointed as the team’s Under-19 head coach in July of last year. In November of that same year, he took on the role of interim head coach for the first squad. After serving as Osian Roberts’ assistant at the end of the season, Fabregas helped lead the team to Serie A for the first time in 21 years.

Fabregas was officially acknowledged as the head coach on Friday, but it was always anticipated that he would take up the role permanentl

In an interview with the team’s official website, the 37-year-old discussed his promotion, saying: “I am thrilled to begin this season as head coach and I appreciate the ownership group’s confidence in me for this role. I think this is just the beginning for this club, and I share their aspirations.

“This season will be challenging and significant, but the coaching staff and I are prepared and have faith in the team.”

Since the high-profile acquisitions of Andrea Belotti and Pepe Reina this summer, Como has been rather active in the transfer market. After leaving Manchester United this summer, Raphael Varane looks set to be the club’s next big addition.

Before the start of the new Serie A season, there will definitely be more signings. Alfie Gilchrist, a young player from Chelsea, has also been linked to a loan move to Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. Gilchrist has had a fantastic season at Stamford Bridge under Mauricio Pochettino, but according to football.london, Chelsea is considering loan bids for him this summer.

Given that Fabregas was a member of the team from 2014 to 2018, Chelsea may decide to send some of their most gifted young players to Como in order to further their development. In the past, the Blues have permitted players to go on loan to Serie A in order to assist them acquire additional experience. Ethan Ampadu is one such example, having linked up with Venezia in 2021 and Spezia in 2022.

The loan market will be important at a time when Chelsea has a lot of excellent players on their roster, but they may not have game time just yet due to their transfer activity during the Todd Boehly period. It is definitely something that Como and Chelsea can profit from in the future.