I have not seen them — Maresca says no way back for Chelsea duo

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that he has not seen 'Bomb squad' members Raheem Sterling or Axel Disasi since the start of the 2025-26 season, with both players training separately from the first-team squad.

The two players remain registered in Chelsea’s Premier League squad, but their future at Stamford Bridge appears uncertain after a summer of intense transfer activity.

Both were linked with moves away on Deadline Day but ultimately remained at the club. Disasi was a reported target for Sunderland, Bournemouth, and West Ham, while Sterling was linked with Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen but reportedly did not want to leave London.

Maresca provided clarity on the situation in his latest news conference.

"They are Chelsea players, but at the moment they are training separately and the plan is to continue in this way," he told reporters.

The manager emphasized the distance between the exiled players and the rest of the squad.

"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."

Chelsea return to Premier League action with a tricky tie against Brentford at the GTech Community Stadium on Saturday night.