Enzo Maresca explains decision to leave Chelsea star out of squad for clash against Real Madrid amid exit links

Chelsea have been active in the ongoing transfer market and head coach Enzo Maresca has addressed the future of another player who might be on the move this summer. Forward Armando Broja, who has been on the fringes at Chelsea, is reportedly seeking a move.

After playing just 27 minutes against Club America in pre-season, the Albanian international was entirely omitted from the squad for the game against Real Madrid, which Chelsea lost 1-2.

When asked about Broja’s absence and whether it was due to injury, Maresca confirmed there were no injury concerns but remained tight-lipped about Broja’s future.

“No, it was just a decision. He was not injured, luckily for him and for us. In this moment, we will see what happens," he said (via tribalfootball).

Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano previously reported that Chelsea are looking to offload both Broja and David Datro Fofana. Meanwhile, the Blues have reportedly completed a deal for Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion, who is set to join the club, with Conor Gallagher moving in the opposite direction.

Broja joined Chelsea at the age of eight and made his senior debut for the club in 2020. Since then, he has been loaned out to Vitesse and Southampton before being reintegrated into Chelsea for two seasons, during which he made 37 appearances and scored three goals.

Broja fell out of favor once again, this time under Mauricio Pochettino, and was loaned to Fulham in January last season. However, he struggled to establish himself at the Cottagers, making just eight appearances and playing second fiddle to Rodrigo Muniz.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca calls for improvement in defense

Chelsea did not have a successful pre-season, leaving head coach Maresca with more questions than answers. In particular, there were numerous individual and structural issues at the back, as the team conceded 12 goals in five pre-season games.

Their high defensive line was repeatedly exposed during their defeat to Real Madrid, with the likes of Brahim Díaz and Vinícius Júnior getting behind them time and again. Addressing these issues, Maresca believes the defensive problems are a continuation from last season, when Pochettino was in charge.

"One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high. We are not working on defensive lines so high. It’s a habit from last year, or years ago, I don’t know."

“We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five metres, just to have some advantage. Last year, we already conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully we can solve it very soon," Maresca said (via Mirror UK)

Chelsea have one more game remaining in the pre-season, as they are scheduled to face Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge on August 11. They will then kick off their Premier League campaign against Manchester City on August 18, before playing in a Conference League playoff clash.