As reported by BBC Sport, Chelsea recently held talks with Napoli to discuss the potential transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka this summer. It has been learnt that the player is no longer in the plans of the Premier League club.
Carney Chukwuemeka hasn’t lived up to the expectations
Chelsea signed Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 for a deal worth £20m. While they had high hopes for the player, he has miserably failed to deliver. Unlucky with multiple injuries, he couldn’t do much on the given occasions.
Chukwuemeka featured in only 12 games last season, netting twice and assisting once. He averaged 0.7 tackles, 0.4 interceptions, and 0.1 clearance per game (stats via whoscored).
The Englishman plays in the midfield and is known for his offensive traits. He is an excellent carrier of the ball and too good as a dribbler. He is a box-to-box midfielder with strong physical strength and a dominant aerial presence.
Is Chelsea making a mistake by offloading Carney Chukwuemeka?
Chelsea have been proactive in the summer window where they splashed money to do strong reinforcements. However, they are now under pressure to offload some players as they have a large squad. Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah are some of the names that can exit the club.
However, Carney Chukwuemeka’s name comes as a surprise as many thought he would be staying at Stamford Bridge. While Enzo Maresca started him in the first two pre-season, he has fallen down the pack in recent weeks.
Hence, the Blues are planning to raise funds by selling him to Napoli. It’s still not clear whether it would be a loan deal or a permanent transfer. As the youngster is still 20 years old, he still has enough time to develop his game and emerge as an elite name in the world of football.
