Sawt Falasteen - Maresca says Chelsea form hit by transfer talk

The Stamford Bridge club were just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool in mid-December but are now 13 points off the pace after just one win in their past seven games.

A number of Chelsea players have been linked with moves including Axel Disasi, Cesare Casadei, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku, while Renato Veiga has already left to join Juventus on loan.

Maresca, whose sixth-placed team host London rivals West Ham on Monday, was asked at his pre-match press conference on Friday whether the rumours had unsettled his squad.

"A hundred percent for me," he said. "But not only us, all the teams, because in the end they (the players) are human beings.

"Even if they say, 'No, I'm professional, I'm focused on this', in the end if they are talking about you, about different clubs, probably the focus is not 100 percent. But it's not just for us."

The Chelsea manager said he was anticipating movement in the final days of the transfer window, which closes at 2300 GMT on Monday.

Chelsea, who sit just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City, have themselves been linked with moves for wingers in Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho and Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel.

"You can expect players to arrive and you can expect players leaving so it's like this in this moment," said Maresca. "I don't have any idea about the ones that can leave or the ones that can arrive. Anything can happen."

The 44-year-old Italian also said he had not yet made a decision on who would start in goal against West Ham, now managed by former Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

Number one goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has made a number of high-profile errors this season, including in last weekend's 3-1 loss away to Manchester City.

Maresca said he had made clear Sanchez was first choice at the start of the season.

But he added: "Because we have two good 'keepers we can make some different decisions, for sure it can happen.

"It doesn't mean that Robert can make a mistake every game and he's always going to play. No. But the number one choice was Robert, then we see during the season.

"Any decision I take I feel good because every time (deputy) Filip (Jorgensen) played since we started he has done well so Filip or Robert, we will see, but any decision will be OK."

R.Halabi--SF-PST