Liam Rosenior will hold talks with Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi before deciding whether the pair have a future at Chelsea.
The head coach, who wants to assess his new squad before concluding whether signings are required this month, has been focusing on preparations for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home against Arsenal on Wednesday and has not had a chance to look at whether Sterling and Disasi should be brought back in from the cold.
The duo have not played this season and been up for sale since last summer but buyers have been in short supply. Disasi, the former Monaco centre-back, has been in limbo and the issue with Sterling is that the former England winger has 18 months on a contract worth about £325,000 a week. Chelsea’s preference would be to move players on this month but Rosenior wants to speak to them to work out the best way forward.
“I’ve had so much on,” the 41‑year‑old coach said. “I’ve been in for three days. This is my fourth day in the job. I will have conversations with them. Raheem’s had an outstanding career. I’ve got huge respect for him and Axel, who was someone I’ve really, really liked for a long time. But in this moment, with the amount of games that we’ve got, I haven’t got on to that topic. I will do it in the next few days.”
Sterling has interest from Fulham but Rosenior did not close the door on the former Manchester City forward and Disasi making unlikely returns to the squad. “I have to have a conversation with them. I have to have a conversation with the club. I’ve got to work through a list of priority. It’s been a whirlwind.”
Chelsea are unlikely to be busy before the transfer window shuts but are open to opportunities. Rosenior, who played his second string when he opened his reign with a 5-1 victory against Charlton in the FA Cup last Saturday, will take a closer look at his players before speaking to the club’s recruitment team about potential reinforcements.
“The first conversation I had with the guys is that I want to assess the most important players, which is the guys that are here,” he said.
“Normally you get good surprises if you give people a chance. I had some really good surprises in the game against Charlton. The performance from some of the players who maybe haven’t played as much this season was outstanding.
“I want to give them a chance. We’re in January and we want the club to be as successful as possible in the short term, but I also think sometimes the answers lay within the building and not outside. So I’ll make a decision on that with the guys probably later in the window when I’ve seen everyone play.”
Chelsea face Arsenal knowing that they held the best side in the country when playing with 10 men in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge in November. Rosenior will have to adjust without the suspended Moisés Caicedo in midfield while Cole Palmer is an injury doubt for the game having struggled since returning from a groin strain last month.
“He’s a special talent,” Rosenior said. “My job is to get to know him, to connect with him, to understand what gets the best out of him. And that takes time. The scary thing with Cole is he has already got world-class ability but he’s only 23.”
Chelsea have six games left this month and Rosenior will manage Palmer’s load carefully. “I’ve had a really good, in-depth conversation with Cole today,” he said. “I’ve had a really good, in-depth conversation with the medical team. It would be crazy for me to risk any player in this phase of the season.”
