{"id":35900,"date":"2025-12-30T04:06:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T09:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/30\/chelsea-manager-maresca-wants-to-sign-midfielder-he-worked-with-at-manchester-city\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T04:06:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T09:06:41","slug":"chelsea-manager-maresca-wants-to-sign-midfielder-he-worked-with-at-manchester-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/30\/chelsea-manager-maresca-wants-to-sign-midfielder-he-worked-with-at-manchester-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea manager Maresca wants to sign midfielder he worked with at Manchester City"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/30\/chelsea-manager-maresca-wants-to-sign-midfielder-he-worked-with-at-manchester-city\/#James_McAtee_has_struggled_for_playing_time\" >James McAtee has struggled for playing time.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/30\/chelsea-manager-maresca-wants-to-sign-midfielder-he-worked-with-at-manchester-city\/#Chelsea_need_creativity_in_midfield\" >Chelsea need creativity in midfield<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca looks on during a training session (Photo by Warren Little\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chelsea join a growing list of clubs monitoring James McAtee&#8217;s situation, with the Blues considering a possible move for the Nottingham Forest playmaker due to concerns over limited game time.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has long admired the 23-year-old and worked closely with him during his time at Manchester City.<\/p>\n<p>McAtee joined Nottingham Forest last summer after playing a key role in England&#8217;s victory in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The competition impressed McAtee with his creativity.<\/p>\n<p>His move to the City Ground was seen as an opportunity to establish himself as a regular starter in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"James_McAtee_has_struggled_for_playing_time\"><\/span>James McAtee has struggled for playing time.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But that breakthrough has yet to materialize, with McAtee finding it difficult to get playing time amid competition and changes in tactics.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of consistent involvement alarmed many clubs in England and across Europe.<\/p>\n<p>In the Premier League, Leeds United, AFC Bournemouth, Fulham and Sunderland are monitoring McAtee&#8217;s situation closely.<\/p>\n<p>Overseas, there has also been interest from RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and PSV Eindhoven, demonstrating the widespread belief that the midfielder still has huge potential.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea&#8217;s interest is particularly noteworthy given Maresca&#8217;s familiarity with the player. Maresca spoke highly of McAtee during their time together during the establishment of Manchester City&#8217;s academy.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chelsea_need_creativity_in_midfield\"><\/span>Chelsea need creativity in midfield<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5-414x299.jpg.webp 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5-630x455.jpg.webp 630w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5-768x555.jpg.webp 768w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5-770x556.jpg.webp 770w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5-900x650.jpg.webp 900w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5-1200x867.jpg.webp 1200w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5-1536x1109.jpg.webp 1536w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/nottingham-forest-fc-v-malmo-ff-uefa-europa-league-2025-26-league-phase-md5.jpg.webp 1681w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 770px, (min-width:1020px) 630px, (min-width:900px) 880px, (min-width:680px) 97vw, (min-width:414px) 414px, 100vw\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">James McAtee in Nottingham Forest (Photo by Shaun Botterill\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Chelsea are understood to be evaluating midfield options who can act as advanced creators, particularly as they continue to balance the development of young players with immediate competitiveness.<\/p>\n<p>McAtee is not the only midfielder to attract attention for Chelsea. The Blues are also tracking Nottingham Forest&#8217;s Elliott Anderson and Crystal Palace&#8217;s Adam Wharton as part of a wider review of their midfield depth and long-term plans.<\/p>\n<p>McAtee remains a valuable asset for Forest, but continued interest and the player&#8217;s desire for regular football could shape discussions in future periods.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Chelsea identify potential successor to Enzo Maresca<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca looks on during a training session (Photo by Warren Little\/Getty Images) Chelsea join a growing list of clubs monitoring James McAtee&#8217;s situation, with the Blues considering a possible move for the Nottingham Forest playmaker due to concerns over limited game time. According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"class_list":{"0":"post-35900","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}