Maresca says Sterling and Disasi have trained apart since season began as Chelsea hold them outside first team
Manager confirms Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi will continue to use separate facilities after failing to secure moves before the transfer deadline
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday that Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi have not been seen by him since the start of the season and will continue training separately from the first-team squad.
Maresca told reporters the pair will use a different pitch, gym and dressing room from the rest of the squad and that the arrangement will remain in place indefinitely. "They are Chelsea players, but at the moment they are training separately and the plan is to continue in this way," he said. "Since the season started, I haven't seen either of them. I haven't seen Axel or Raheem. They train at a different time and on a different pitch. I haven't seen them since the start of the season."
The statements come with Chelsea preparing to visit Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday. Sterling and Disasi were unable to complete permanent moves away from Stamford Bridge before the close of the transfer window and have been placed in what the club and media have described as a separate group within the squad.
Sterling, 30, spent last season on loan at Arsenal but was unable to secure a long-term exit. He resisted moves to Champions League clubs Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen this summer and indicated a preference to remain in London to stay close to family. Sources have pointed to his club-high wages — reported to be around £325,000 per week — as complicating potential deals; clubs including Fulham, Crystal Palace and West Ham did not make offers before the deadline.
Disasi, 27, attracted interest from Sunderland, Bournemouth and West Ham but those moves collapsed as he pursued a return to former club Monaco that did not materialise. Disasi spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa and has said publicly that he is fit and available should he be called upon.
All three senior players who were unable to leave Chelsea before the deadline — Sterling, Disasi and striker David Datro Fofana — were included in the squad list Chelsea submitted to the Premier League on Friday, in keeping with league regulations.
Maesca also provided updates on other players as he finalised his matchday plans. Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile remain sidelined, and the manager said they are not available for selection. They join long-term absentees Liam Delap, Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo on the injury list. England international Cole Palmer was described as a doubt for the Brentford trip because of a groin issue.
The decision to separate Sterling and Disasi follows a pattern at several clubs when players are unable to find suitors before transfer deadlines. Clubs sometimes train such players away from the main group while they remain under contract and available for selection. Maresca declined to set a timeframe for how long the arrangement would last and said selection would be based on the needs of the team and the players' status.
Chelsea have been active in the transfer market this summer as part of a broader rebuild under new management. The club registered its Premier League squad on Friday in advance of the weekend fixtures and faces Brentford looking to build momentum early in the campaign. Maresca will have to manage selection and fitness as he integrates newcomers and copes with injuries and the continued absence of several players who remain under contract but are training separately.
Chelsea did not immediately respond to requests for further comment outside Maresca's public statements. The club's official communications have confirmed the Premier League registrations and listed the injured players, while leaving personnel decisions and internal training arrangements to the manager's discretion.