Ben Chilwell’s snub from the England EURO 2024 squad has seen the Chelsea left-back’s future up in the air after yet another disappointing season in a blue shirt – with his failure to play on the big stage for Gareth Southgate’s men being looked at as a ‘big casualty’, Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.
Southgate announced his 33-man squad – which will be cut to 26 players in the coming weeks – on Tuesday afternoon; omitting some huge players such as Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Chilwell and Chelsea teammate Reece James due to their poor club form and injury records. Youngsters such as James Trafford, Adam Wharton, Jarell Quansah and Cole Palmer are all into the squad in a switch-up from the usual guard and with that in mind, Jones states that Chilwell will be looked at as a ‘big casualty’ for his failure to reach the provisional team.
Chilwell has made 21 appearances for the Three Lions, making his debut back in 2018 whilst at Leicester City and looking like a strong young gem who would go on to make the spot his own for years to come. But injury woes and a real lack of form at Chelsea have seen those opportunities diminish and this has resulted in his exile from the Three Lions squad.
| Ben Chilwell’s Premier League statistics – Chelsea squad ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats | Output | Squad rank |
| Appearances | 13 | 18th |
| Assists | 1 | =11th |
| Key Passes Per Game | 1.1 | =4th |
| Tackles Per Game | 1.2 | 8th |
| Interceptions Per Game | 0.3 | 15th |
| Match rating | 6.47 | 20th |
| Statistics via WhoScored – Correct as of 21/05/2024 | ||
Chilwell did feature in the previous EURO 2024 competition when England lost to Italy under the famous Wembley arch and with a lack of natural left-backs, there is a question of what if.
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said that whilst he believes Chilwell will bounce back from a frustrating season and do better next season, the former Leicester man’s future is not safe in west London and he has heard doubts surrounding his future as a Blues player. Jones said:
“It’s a big blow for him not to be in the England squad and he will be looked at as a big casualty for not even making the provisional side, especially as Luke Shaw made it. This will now lead into a longer conversation about his club future because his spot at Chelsea is not 100 percent safe.
“Personally I think he will stay, I think we will see him bounce back from a frustrating season and the injuries that have held him back. But there are people I speak to who are a little more doubtful about that.”
The former Leicester City man started life superbly for the Blues following his £45million transfer in 2020/21, scoring in the run to the Champions League final as the west London club took the spoils to reward Chilwell with a winner’s medal, alongside recording a respectable third-place finish in the Premier League. However, an injury-hit campaign once fans came back has seen Chilwell make just 64 appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit in all competitions since the start of the 2021/22 season; an average of just over 21 games per season.
His lack of minutes has seen him massively struggle on the field when he has come back, despite being named as the club’s vice-captain – and whilst Southgate has used the performances he has put in for England previously as credit for recent call-ups, a poor outing against Brazil at Wembley back in March didn’t do much to endear him to the Three Lions boss and as a result, he has missed out to Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier who will act as the left-backs in Germany.
