The forgotten £200,000-a-week footballer: Inside what life's like for Ben Chilwell, the last star standing of Chelsea's bomb squad - and what comes next

England's left back for the Republic of Ireland was Levi Colwill, a central defender. For Finland, it was Rico Lewis, a right back. Ben Chilwell represented his country as recently as March and yet even amid such a shortage, he has never been further from the Three Lions line-up.

That is because Chilwell has not been training with Chelsea's first team, let alone playing in the Premier League as a 27-year-old Englishman who should be entering the prime of his career.

Health is not the issue. Chilwell participated in the pre-season tour of the United States, featuring in every training session and two fixtures after upholding his annual tradition of emerging triumphant in the club's running tests alongside Malo Gusto. 

Neither is his attitude, last season’s vice captain throwing himself into ambassadorial work on that trip such as when he visited the home of a Chelsea super fan called Bradley in Atlanta during his downtime.

The problem is, like Raheem Sterling, he learned upon his return to London that he is not in Enzo Maresca’s first-team plans. Hints had been dropped in the States, with Chelsea’s new head coach name-checking every other left back while discussing who suited his style of play with the assembled journalists in Santa Clara, but confirmation was no less crushing.

The difference between Sterling and Chilwell now is one secured his switch – arguably an upgrade by joining Mikel Arteta’s title challengers at Arsenal with Chelsea subsidising his wages – while the other remains as the forgotten footballer on a salary worth around £200,000 per week.

Chelsea would prefer him playing for the next four months rather than perched in purgatory, but currently, Chilwell is in line to stay with sources saying yesterday he is not close to a switch to a country where the transfer window remains open. 

That includes Turkey where the rumour mill had Jose Mourinho bringing him to Fenerbahce after they sold their left back Ferdi Kadioglu to Brighton. Barring a dramatic change between now and Friday evening, when the Turkish window closes, Chilwell will remain at Cobham until January at least.

Those close to Chilwell insist it makes no sense for him to go unused, explaining it is better to place your player in the shop window rather than shove him in storage and ruin your chances of recouping anything close to the £50million you paid Leicester in August 2020.

They also revealed how Chilwell had hoped he would be included in last week’s Conference League squad submitted to UEFA so he could get some modicum of game time. Even if it came in the form of a December trip to Kazakhstan to face Astana, where temperatures can stoop so low that the climate freezes nose hairs, beggars cannot be choosers.

Indeed, sources have claimed he was pre-warned that Chelsea would be leaving several of their star players out of that squad, including Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, so they could manage their minutes. Yet when the squad was confirmed for the Conference League’s next stage, in which Chelsea play six fixtures, Chilwell was snubbed.

This Friday will see Chelsea reveal the 25-player squad they have submitted to the Premier League. At least eight need to be ‘homegrown’ and Chilwell qualifies for that category, but Maresca has already insisted those training separately will remain sidelined under him.

If excluded as expected, that would leave the Carabao Cup as Chilwell’s only hope for competitive football between now and the next window opening. League Two Barrow are due to visit Stamford Bridge in the third round of that competition in two weeks’ time and, again, sources say Chilwell would be more than happy to feature if given the chance.

Chelsea declined to share on Tuesday when quizzed on their plans for Chilwell, including who he is now training alongside at Cobham, given so many members of the club’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ have departed from Trevoh Chalobah to Crystal Palace and Kepa Arrizabalaga to Bournemouth.

Chilwell was offered to Premier League clubs in the summer, his name cropping up in conversations with Manchester United surrounding Jadon Sancho but ending with the 24-year-old joining on his own loan with an obligation to buy. 

Brentford were also in the market for a left back, yet Bees sources say Chilwell never made their shortlist as they eventually secured 18-year-old Jayden Meghoma from Southampton instead as competition for Rico Henry.

Inevitably, Chilwell’s wages have posed a problem in Chelsea’s search for a potential buyer, along with the red flag of his injury record after enduring more setbacks than he would have liked.

Known as ‘Chilly’ to all, Chilwell is popular inside of Chelsea. One of the few who was at the club before the new owners took over in May 2022, he has been a mentor to the younger hopefuls. Maresca himself describes him as a 'lovely guy', though went on to warn how he will 'struggle' to get back in under him.

However it ends, it is an unfortunate turn of events for the left back who has ‘1235’ tattooed beneath his left knee, signifying his pride at becoming 1235th player to represent England. As the Three Lions took to the hallowed turf of Wembley last night, he can only have wondered when he might have that chance again.