Why Ben Chilwell & Cesare Casadei have been removed from Chelsea squad during January transfer window | OneFootball

Chelsea duo Ben Chilwell and Cesare Casadei have been removed from Chelsea's squad during the January transfer window, Enzo Maresca has confirmed.

The pair have struggled for game time this season as Chilwell has made just one appearance, off the bench against Barrow.

Casadei, on the other hand, was a regular in Chelsea's Conference League squad before being handed a suspension after being dismissed in the Blues' win over Heidenhelm.

With Maresca opting to use Marc Cucurella. Renato Veiga and Malo Gusto ahead of Chilwell on the left side of defence, the England international's future has been thrown into doubt.

While Casadei has seen interest from Serie A giants Napoli and Torino, his future looked to be in doubt also.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup clash with Morecambe, Maresca has confirmed the reason the pair will not feature in his squad going forward.

Maresca discussed the futures of Chilwell and Casadei. / IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

When asked about the pair, he said: "Yes, Cesare will not be in the squad. It is more or less the same situation as Ben Chilwell.

"For him, probably in this moment, the idea is not to allow him to play some minutes in case there is any opportunity for him to go and play. At this moment, this is the best thing for him."

The Italian continued to discuss the future of Casadei, discussing whether the Italian will depart on a permanent deal or on loan.

"I don't know," he said. "The only thing I can say is Cesare didn't get minutes for us, not because he's not good. He is a good player and in the middle we have Caicedo, Enzo and Lavia - for me, who are the same position.

"Cesare has shown how good he can be in the Conference League, playing all the games as a No.6; physically strong and good in the air. He is a good player but we have already many good players in that position already so he didn't get the minutes."

Finalising by talking about Chilwell, Maresca admitted that he believes the England left-back should depart.

He said: "Chilwell, for him, I think in this moment is thinking he is probably going to leave, so it is probably better to avoid using him to avoid that kind of situation, an injury or this kind of things. So the plan is not to use Ben tomorrow."

It remains to be seen as to where the pair will end up, but their future at Chelsea is all but over.