Enzo Maresca wants to keep Marc Guiu at Chelsea next month - but says he is ready to listen if the striker demands a January loan move.
It has been a superb week for the Spanish forward, who followed two goals at Astana last Thursday with a hat-trick in the 5-1 thrashing of Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League last night.
With six goals in all, the 18-year-old finishes the group stage as the competition’s leading scorer, but Chelsea do not play the first leg of their last-16 tie until March and first-team minutes could be hard to come by between now and then.
Guiu, who was signed from Barcelona this summer, is behind Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku in the No9 pecking order and has not played a minute in the Premier League since the opening day of the season.
The FA Cup third round tie against Morecambe next month looks like an obvious opportunity, but how much Maresca rotates in the competition beyond that will depend on the Blues’ progress and the draw.
There have already been reports of loan interest in Guiu in the teenager’s homeland and Chelsea may soon have a decision to make over how his development is best served in the second half of the campaign.
"With young players like Marc, like Josh [Acheampong], like Tyrique [George], for me, the best thing for them is to be with us,” said Marecsa, who ruled out a loan exit for Acheampong after he signed a new long-term deal this week.
“Because they can understand every day the way we want to play, they can grow, we can teach them how we want them to play.
“So, I think it's better if they stay with us. But then it depends a little on the desire of the players.
“If in this case, Marc’s desire is to get more minutes and to play more, then we see we sit with him and we will decide together.”
