Chelsea has removed nearly £150 million worth of talent from their Club World Cup roster, including Raheem Sterling and João Felix. The Blues are preparing to travel to the United States in the coming days to commence their tournament. Enzo Maresca’s team will face MLS side LAFC in the group stage, followed by matches against Flamengo and the Tunisian team Esperance. In the lead-up to the tournament, the Blues manager has made several harsh decisions regarding his squad.
Raheem Sterling, who was signed for £50 million, has been left behind after a disappointing loan period with Arsenal last season. João Félix, acquired for £45 million, has also been excluded. The Portuguese forward had only returned to Stamford Bridge on a permanent deal last summer but was loaned out to AC Milan after just a few months. Defender Axel Disasi is another player who has been omitted after spending the latter half of last season with Aston Villa.
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However, the most unexpected decision may be the exclusion of goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic. The Serbian was anticipated to take on a more significant role following Chelsea’s unsuccessful attempt to sign French goalkeeper Mike Maignan from AC Milan.
He had an outstanding loan spell with French club Strasbourg last season and would have offered competition to Chelsea’s current goalkeepers, Robert Sánchez, Filip Jorgensen, and Mike Penders. Nevertheless, the West London club has concluded that the Club World Cup serves as an extension of the 2024/25 season, thus prioritizing consistency among their loanees, most of whom have been left out.
The sole exception to this policy is the inclusion of Andrey Santos, who has returned to the club in preparation for the tournament. According to The Telegraph, several clubs are now interested in acquiring Petrovic permanently.
The 25-year-old was signed from the New England Revolution in 2023 and made 31 appearances during his debut season before being loaned to Strasbourg. He remains contracted to Stamford Bridge until 2030. Meanwhile, Maresca has already expressed his ambition to add the Club World Cup to the Conference League title that Chelsea won.
