Chelsea’s oversized squad has come under criticism, with pundits accusing the club of “recruiting badly.” The club currently has 42 first-team players listed on their website, but many of them have not been seen in training. Manager Enzo Maresca has faced questions about the futures of these players throughout his two-month spell at Stamford Bridge. One notable omission from the squad was Raheem Sterling, the club’s most famous player, who was left out of the Premier League squad in their 2-0 home defeat to Manchester City. Additionally, England midfielder Conor Gallagher has left for Atletico Madrid, which has received backlash from some fans. Another home-grown star, Armando Broja, is set to join Ipswich on a loan move with an obligation to buy. Several other players, including Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, and Carney Chukwuemeka, are facing uncertain futures. While Disasi returned to face Servette in their 2-0 win in the Uefa Conference League play-off first leg, the rest remain out of favor. Noni Madueke, who scored Chelsea’s second goal in that match, has also been linked with a move to Newcastle.
Despite the criticism, Chelsea has been the most active Premier League team in the transfer window, signing 11 players, including a £45m move for Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid. This has led to accusations of stockpiling players and not having a plan for their squad. The criticism has largely been directed at chairman Todd Boehly, although co-owner Behdad Eghbali is actually the more influential member of the American consortium that purchased the club in 2022.
Chelsea’s plan seems to involve stockpiling young players and signing them before they become stars, which saves the club money. They aim to reduce the wage bill by signing players to long contracts with below-market-rate wages. If these prospects don’t become superstars, Chelsea believes there will still be a market to sell them while they are on comparatively low wages. The club claims to have reduced their wage bill by more than 50% under the new ownership group.
To manage their oversized squad, Maresca has divided the players into two groups. The first group consists of 21 or 22 players who are part of the first-team training sessions. The second group, known as the ‘loan group’ or ‘bomb squad,’ is made up of 15 players who train separately but still use the first-team facilities. This division helps keep the first-team squad in a more focused environment and avoid any distractions from the players who are not in Maresca’s plans.
Chelsea’s strategy of signing players to long contracts may be financially risky. According to research by Sky Sports, Chelsea players have a combined 191 years left on their contracts. While this allows the club to avoid losing players on free transfers, it remains to be seen if they can sell these players when needed. The club has announced significant losses since the takeover, and they have not qualified for the Champions League in the past two seasons. However, Chelsea is hoping to return to the Champions League and win silverware this season under Maresca’s leadership.