Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca desperate for end of January transfer window as he hits out at 'noise' around Blues squad amid Christopher Nkunku & Joao Felix rumours

Chelsea are facing potential departures as the January transfer window slowly draws to a close on Monday. The Blues have seen a number of squad players linked with an exit, with Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Carney Chukwuemeka and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struggling for playing time under Maresca this season. Disasi has been linked with a move to Aston Villa or Tottenham, while Felix and Chilwell are linked with moves to AC Milan and Crystal Palace, respectively.

Maresca has now claimed that he will be very pleased when the January transfer window officially closes, just hours after Chelsea's Monday night Premier League clash against West Ham. The game will kick off at 8pm (GMT) and the transfer window will shut at 11pm. The Italian boss went on to add that he will be 'relieved' when he arrives for work at Cobham on Tuesday morning following the end of the transfer window.

Speaking to the media, Maresca responded to questions over his feelings with the transfer window ending soon: "For sure you have a feeling of relief. The players you are going to see, they are going to be here until the end, so there is not any noise about some of the players that are there.

“The word is relief. From now on until the end, we go on with these players and no more. In the small part, I think all transfer windows are similar. Last year when I was at Leicester (in the Championship) in January, players arriving, players to leave – it’s the same situation you live everywhere.”

The west London side have been keen on reducing the inflated numbers in their squad after the summer transfer window saw them go all guns blazing with a number of players arriving at Stamford Bridge. While the departures would have helped the Blues, the 'noise' around the squad has been causing turbulence for the team as they continue to fight for the Champions League places in the Premier League.