Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca sold a player who’s been “absolutely transformed” since leaving Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea take on Sunderland after Ajax demolition
The Blues are back in fantastic form with four straight wins in all competitions, despite missing a host of key players, and they’ll be going into tomorrow’s clash against Sunderland with renewed confidence.
Maresca’s side were given a rude wake-up call when they lost 3-1 to Brighton at home this time last month, but that dire showing at Stamford Bridge appears to have lit a fire under Chelsea’s players.
Despite missing both summer signing Liam Delap and star forward Cole Palmer, who remain out through injury, Chelsea have managed to cope very well without the pair — scoring 10 in their last three matches.
Goals from Marc Guiu, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Estevao and Tyrique George sealed an impressive win over Ajax in the Champions League last time out, with Maresca’s men also doing a solid job defensively considering they’re minus Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill.
Newly-promoted Sunderland, who’ve started the campaign very well, travel to London and present another tough test this weekend, but based off Chelsea’s recent run, the Black Cats could be in for a tough afternoon.
That being said, Maresca definitely isn’t underestimating them.
“I spent one season with Leicester in the Championship and I love the Championship, so even if we play Premier League or Champions League, I always watch the Championship, so I watch Sunderland since last season when the new manager arrived,” Maresca told reporters in his pre-match press conference.
“They are doing very good not just from this season but from last season. They play good football, they are quite strong, physically strong, so I really like the way they are doing things.”
Chelsea’s squad, which lifted both the Conference League and Club World Cup earlier this year, is coming together, and once they have a more fully fit roster, the west Londoners will be firm favourites for a top four finish at the very least.
Marc Cucurella has been an ever-present at left-back and key cog in their system, leaving little room for ex-Chelsea left-back Diego Moreira, who was permanently sold to Strasbourg in 2024, to battle his way into the team.
Diego Moreira "transformed" after leaving Chelsea
Of course, given Chelsea’s connection with their sister club, there is always a chance for BlueCo to re-sign the Belgian.
However, Liam Rosenior appears to have worked wonders with Moreira since his Chelsea exit, and the tactician won’t be keen on losing his versatile defender who’s now become “one of the best” full-backs in Ligue 1.
“He’s an exceptional coach and developer of players. And we saw that with Diego Moreira, who was formerly at Chelsea, who has really been transformed under Rosenior,” said broadcaster Andy Brassell told talkSPORT.
“He was someone who went out from Chelsea on loan to Lyon, looked absolutely nowhere near ready for top-flight football.
“Then a year later, he goes to Strasbourg, and all of a sudden, he’s one of the best wing-backs in the league because he changes his position. He’s so good, not just with the ball, but without the ball as well. His defensive awareness is fantastic now.
“In terms of scoring and creating, the runs he makes, the awareness that he’s got when Strasbourg are out of possession, all of those parts of his games, really, Rosenior has absolutely transformed him. It’s amazing.”
Strasbourg are surprise contenders for the French title after a stunning start to 2025/2026, and they very nearly beat European champions PSG last week in a stunning 3-3 draw at the Parc des Princes.
They were two goals up at one point, and Moreira was at the heart of it all with a goal and an assist in the capital.
His performances have been nothing short of exceptional, and judging by his own admission last year, Moreira may not be clamoring to return to Chelsea any time soon.
“I see myself staying here. Since I got here, it’s been a relief. I rediscovered this joy of playing football, of having fun. Everything is great: the coach, the club, the infrastructure, the quality of life, the city,” he told said the South American to La Derniere Heure.
“It’s true that the level of academy football is not comparable to professional football: you have the impression that you are stagnating, that you are not learning anything. Yes, we still learn something every day, but at that time I needed to gain experience. It’s not what I was looking for.”
