By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-10-24 15:20:35 | Updated at 2024-10-24 17:32:32
2 hours ago
Chelsea will face a team in mourning on Thursday night as they come up against a Panathinaikos side playing their first home game since the death of full-back George Baldock.
Baldock, the England-born Greece international, passed away earlier this month at the age of 31. Panathinaikos are preparing a series of tributes to Baldock on Thursday night and their players have dedicated this season to his memory.
“This is a really hard situation,” said Panathinaikos winger Facundo Pellistri, who joined the club from Manchester United this summer. “It has not affected only us as teammates but the whole country.
“We are going to continue our struggle for the championship because George, who is not with us, is looking at us from the skies and he would like to have seen the team gain the championship. We are going to do everything for him as his teammates and his team. Winning the championship to dedicate to him.”
Diego Alonso, the Panathinaikos manager, added: “We are living 15 very hard days, we are still mourning this loss. I wouldn’t like to enter into details because this is not correct at this time, but I can tell you two things. The first is respect. The second thing is that our team, all of us, dedicate the whole season to the blessed memory of George Baldock.”
Chelsea have arrived in Greece with a youthful squad that features academy products Samuel Rak-Sakyi and Shim Mhueka, but there is still no place for highly-rated defender Josh Acheampong.
As reported by Telegraph Sport earlier this week, Acheampong has been told he will not play for the first team or development squad after mysteriously reneging on a new long-term contract that Chelsea believed was ready to be signed. Chelsea remain keen to keep him at the club.
“I feel a bit of shame for Josh because I think this kind of game can be an opportunity for him,” said head coach Enzo Maresca.
“I had a chat with him, personally, about three weeks ago, about his situation. The chat we had was a very good chat, a positive chat but since that moment I haven’t spoken to him again.
“As I said, it’s a shame. I think Josh potentially can become a top player. He is still 18, so still very young, so many things can change for him, but he can potentially be very important for Chelsea.
“It’s so important for the club that our intention is not to lose him. The first thing we need to do is to find a solution for his future. The most important thing at this stage is to get minutes, enjoy and to play football. For him, I don’t know the people who are trying to solve the problem, if they are helping him or not. I really like Josh and I would really like to have him here with us but it is not possible.”
