Enzo Maresca has stated that transfer speculation has played a significant role in Chelsea's mid-season decline, asserting that there will be notable player movements in the closing days of the January transfer window.

The club, which was only two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool in mid-December, now finds itself 13 points adrift after securing just one victory in their last seven matches.

Several Chelsea players, including Axel Disasi, Cesare Casadei, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix, and Christopher Nkunku, have been the subject of transfer rumors, while Renato Veiga has already departed to join Juventus on loan.

Maresca, whose team is currently in sixth place and set to face West Ham on Monday, was questioned during his pre-match press conference on Friday about whether these rumors have caused any disruption within his squad.

“A hundred percent for me,” he said. “But not only us, all the teams, because in the end they (the players) are human beings.

“Even if they say, ‘No, I’m professional, I’m focused on this’, in the end if they are talking about you, about different clubs, probably the focus is not 100 percent. But it’s not just for us.”

The Chelsea manager anticipates transfer activity before the Monday, 23:00 GMT deadline.

Chelsea, currently one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City, have been reportedly considering bids for wingers Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United and Mathys Tel of Bayern Munich.

“You can expect players to arrive and you can expect players leaving so it’s like this in this moment,” said Maresca. “I don’t have any idea about the ones that can leave or the ones that can arrive. Anything can happen.”

The 44-year-old Italian stated that the starting goalkeeper against West Ham, now under the direction of former Chelsea manager Graham Potter, remains undetermined.

First-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has committed several significant errors this season, notably during last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester City.

Maresca confirmed that Sanchez was initially designated as the first-choice goalkeeper at the season's commencement.

But he added: “Because we have two good ‘keepers we can make some different decisions, for sure it can happen.

“It doesn’t mean that Robert can make a mistake every game and he’s always going to play. No. But the number one choice was Robert, then we see during the season.

“Any decision I take I feel good because every time (deputy) Filip (Jorgensen) played since we started he has done well so Filip or Robert, we will see, but any decision will be OK.”