Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believes that transfer rumors have significantly impacted the team's performance, contributing to their mid-season slump. Chelsea, once only two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool in mid-December, now find themselves 13 points adrift after just one win in their past seven games.

Several Chelsea players have been linked with moves, including Axel Disasi, Cesare Casadei, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix, and Christopher Nkunku, while Renato Veiga has already been loaned out to Juventus.

At his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's upcoming game against West Ham, Maresca was asked about the effect of the transfer speculation on his squad. He responded, saying, "A hundred percent for me. But not only for us, for all teams, because in the end, they (the players) are human beings. Even if they say, 'No, I’m professional, I’m focused on this,' when players are talked about, it impacts their focus. It’s not just for us."

With the January transfer window closing soon, Maresca predicted movement in and out of Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are reportedly targeting wingers, with Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho and Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel among the names linked to the club.

"You can expect players to arrive and players to leave," Maresca said. "Anything can happen."

On the goalkeeping situation, Maresca indicated uncertainty over who would start in goal against West Ham, as Robert Sanchez has made several high-profile mistakes this season, including a costly error in Chelsea's 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. Maresca reiterated that Sanchez was initially the first-choice goalkeeper but acknowledged that changes could be made.

"Any decision I take I feel good about," Maresca explained. "Filip (Jorgensen) has done well every time he’s played, so whether it's Filip or Robert, we will see."

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