Chelsea's Ben Chilwell Joins Strasbourg; Uncertain Futures for Sterling and Disasi
Chelsea Football Club has reached an agreement to send left-back Ben Chilwell to their partner club, Strasbourg. However, the futures of fellow 'bomb squad' members Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi remain uncertain.
Chilwell, who has two years remaining on his contract with Chelsea, has signed a matching two-year deal with the French club, which is also owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
This transfer helps Chelsea manage their squad effectively, especially as they attempt to offload one of their highest earners, who was signed under the previous ownership of Roman Abramovich.
Currently, the club's highest earner is England forward Raheem Sterling, reportedly making £325,000 a week. He, along with French international defender Axel Disasi, has not yet been sold during this transfer window.
The 30-year-old Sterling spent last season on loan at Arsenal but struggled to make a significant impact under Mikel Arteta's management. Meanwhile, Disasi, aged 27, was loaned to Aston Villa for the second half of the last season.
Neither player was selected for this summer's FIFA Club World Cup, which Chelsea won by defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final. Upon returning for pre-season, they trained separately as part of the 'bomb squad.'
Sterling has attracted interest from clubs such as Fulham and Bayer Leverkusen, but neither has formalized an offer. The forward expressed a preference for a move within London to remain close to his school-age children.
Disasi expressed a desire to return to his native Monaco, but Chelsea exhausted their international loan spots, utilizing the last one to secure a £14.3 million loan fee for Nicolas Jackson to join Bayern Munich.
In the Premier League, there are no restrictions on loan agreements, and Disasi had opportunities to join Bournemouth or West Ham, but neither option came to fruition.