pwshub.com

Chelsea omit THREE key players from Conference League squad

Chelsea have omitted three key players from their Conference League squad for the league phase.

The Blues qualified for Europe's third-tier competition last season after finishing sixth in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino, with Manchester United stealing their place in the Europa League after winning the FA Cup.

In the league phase, teams will play six matches in the new-look format - three at home and three away - with the Blues to face Gent, Heidenheim, Astana, Shamrock Rovers, Panathinaikos and Noah.

They will do so without three key men though, with the club submitting their squad list on Thursday ahead of the start of the competition in just under a month's time.

The headline absentee is Cole Palmer, who is widely-regarded as one of Chelsea's best players. Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana have also been left out.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has left three key players out of his Conference League squad

Cole Palmer is the premier name that has been left out the squad ahead of the kick off in just under a month's time

Defender Wesley Fofana (left) and midfielder Romeo Lavia (right) are also absent from the list

Palmer has pulled out of the England squad for the current international break, but his omission is understood not to be related to any potential issue.

Lavia and Fofana, meanwhile, have only returned from long-term injury issues this season.

It is believed that Chelsea want to rest players with a long season ahead amid their participation in the Club World Cup following the conclusion of the domestic season.

The revamped competition, which will also include the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid will run from June 15 to July 13 in 2025.

When declaring their squads for the competition, clubs must not have more than 25 List A players named at once, while an unlimited number of players can be named on List B.

To be eligible for List B, the player needs to have been born on or after January 1 2003 and have been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday.

Due to the nature of the size of Chelsea's squad, players had to be cut, with both Palmer and Fofana only qualifying for List A.

Maresca will lead Chelsea into Europe after they finished sixth in the Premier League last term

Ben Chilwell is another senior name who is absent from the squad, though for different reasons to the other three stars

Lavia, who is 20 and was born in 2004, is eligible for List B but has not been selected.

Defender Levi Colwill is the premier name on List B, while other senior squad members are named on List A.

They include Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, though Ben Chilwell, who has failed to secure a move away from the club after being told he was not in manager Enzo Maresca's plans, has been left out too.

The Blues were active in the transfer market again this summer with dozens of players in their squad, but did their best to offload large numbers towards the end of the window.

The likes of Ian Maatsen and Conor Gallagher left permanently, while Raheem Sterling left on loan for Arsenal.

There are 36 teams in total in the Conference League, with the top eight teams from the league phase moving through to the last-16.

Teams that finish ninth to 24th will contest the play-offs, with sides 25th to 36th eliminated.

The Blues did their best to offload unwanted players at the end of the transfer window, including Raheem Sterling (centre)

Djed Spence, meanwhile, has been left out of Tottenham's squad for the Europa League league phase

Elsewhere for Premier League teams, Tyrell Malacia has been included in United's Europa League squad, with Djed Spence amond those left out of Tottenham's squad.

Teams can re-submit squads ahead of the knockout stages. 

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Related stories
3 weeks ago - SAMI MOKBEL: Indeed, it was on Monday this week when Sterling was finally told from someone other than Maresca that it was the club's intention to sell him.
1 week ago - Gabby Agbonlahor believes that Chelsea's decision to omit Cole Palmer and other high-profile names from their Europa Conference League squad is 'disrespectful'.
1 week ago - The Blues will compete in Europe's third-tier competition this season after a lacklustre campaign that saw them finish sixth.
1 month ago - COMMENT BY IAN LADYMAN: Shortly after Chelsea signed Raheem Sterling on the say-so of manager Thomas Tuchel two years ago, he made his league debut on the opening day of the 2022-23 season in a game at Everton.
3 weeks ago - Chelsea have reportedly made a move to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford. The Blues are looking to add a proven goal-scorer to their ranks for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season.
Other stories
7 minutes ago - ISAAN KHAN IN BERGAMO: Ahead of their opening match against Atalanta tonight, Mikel Arteta's side are no longer newcomers on this stage.
7 minutes ago - The video is mesmerising. Full of lively music, twinkling sounds and graphics that revolve as quickly as a fruit machine, UEFA pulled no punches to launch what they are calling 'the new beginning.'
1 hour ago - An embarrassing late blunder for a former Premier League stopper gifted Paris St Germain a 1-0 home victory over Champions League debutants Girona on Wednesday night.
1 hour ago - The legendary rock and roll band recently announced the group - led by City fanatic brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher - are getting back together and the club have got in on the action.
1 hour ago - Haaland was kept quiet on a night in which he missed out on his 100th goal for the club but he was all smiles during an animated chat with Acerbi after the final whistle.