Chelsea have made the bold decision to leave out several senior players, including Cole Palmer and Ben Chilwell, from their squad for the Conference League.
The move comes as part of an effort to manage the workload of key players and give others a chance to shine in Europe’s third-tier competition.
Palmer Rested, Chilwell Dropped
England forward Cole Palmer, who has been one of Chelsea’s star performers, has been left out of the squad to ensure he remains fresh for other competitions.
The Blues are set to play around 80 matches this season across five tournaments, and the club has decided to manage Palmer’s workload carefully during the league phase of the Conference League.
Meanwhile, Ben Chilwell’s omission is more significant. The left-back has been told by manager Enzo Maresca that he has no future at Stamford Bridge and was offered to other Premier League clubs during the summer.
With Chelsea competing in the Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup, Conference League, and the expanded Club World Cup next June, Chilwell is unlikely to feature again for the club this season.
There is even speculation that he could leave for Turkey, where the transfer window is still open.
Injuries and Squad Management
Other notable absentees include midfielder Romeo Lavia and defender Wesley Fofana, who are both recovering from long-term injuries.
Chelsea have opted to give them more time to regain full fitness and will likely re-register them for the knockout rounds in February.
In their place, young talents like Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka, and striker Marc Guiu have been selected.
This gives Chelsea the opportunity to rotate the squad and offer more playing time to fringe players while still remaining one of the favourites to win the Conference League.
Spurs Make Tough Choices Too
Elsewhere, Tottenham have left defenders Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon out of their Europa League squad.
Due to a shortage of club-trained players, Spurs could only name 23 players instead of the usual 25, leading to tough decisions about who to include.
🚨⚪️ Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon have been left out of Tottenham Europa League squad, @AlasdairGold reports.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 5, 2024
Squad can still be changed in January 2025 after the end of the transfer window. pic.twitter.com/13XLY4rcEC
Reguilon could be on his way out, while Spence has returned to the first-team fold after loan spells last season.
Chelsea’s decisions to manage their squad carefully reflect the challenges of balancing multiple competitions, and it will be interesting to see how these choices impact their campaign moving forward.
