Chelsea add 33 players to Champions League squad ahead of Ajax clash

Robin Bairner

22 Oct 2025 14:29 BST
4 min read

Enzo Maresca, Todd Boehly, Chelsea — © IMAGO

Chelsea have taken the unprecedented step of adding 33 players to their Champions League squad ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Ajax.

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The Stamford Bridge side have been known for pulling off unique stunts in the transfer market since BlueCo took command of the club in May 2022, notably pioneering ultra-long contracts, but this latest move marks an eye-catching decision even by their standards.

The Blues have been restricted to adding youngsters to their ‘B’ pool of players, with eight 16-year-olds among the number that they have bolstering their ranks. Among the players added are Thiago Silva’s 16-year-old son Isago and highly rated teens Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Ibrahim Rabbaj and Shim Mheuka.

Some of these players could be on the bench for Wednesday’s clash against Ajax at Stamford Bridge.

© IMAGO - Enzo Maresca: Chelsea boss has 33 more players to pick from

Why have Chelsea registered so many players at once?

Chelsea have taken the step to register 33 players at once simply to avoid registering them individually before their future Champions League matches, according to the Daily Mail.

This gives them a huge pool of talent to draw from in future matches if they need to fill spaces on their bench.

Who has been registered?

Here are the 33 players newly registered by Chelsea before facing Ajax:

Goalkeepers: Jack Austin (17), Hudson Sands (18), Toby Bell (16)

Defenders: Genesis Antwi (18), Richard Olise (21), Harrison Murray-Campbell (19), Kobe Barbour (18), Harry McGlinchey (17), Kaiden Wilson (20), Olutayo Subuloye (17), Joseph Wheeler-Henry (17), Calvin Diakite (16), Isago Silva (16), Lewi Richards (17), Dante Waite (17)

Midfielders: Sam Rak-Sakyi (20), Jimi Tauriainen (21), Harrison McMahon (19), Leo Cardoso (19), Landon Emenalo (17), Sol Gordon (17), Ollie Harrison (18), Yahya Idrissi-Regragui (17), Frankie Runham (18), Shaun Wade (19), Charles Holland (16), Jeremiah Berkeley-Agyepong (16), Ibrahim Rabbaj (16)

Forwards: Ato Ampah (19), Shim Mheuka (18), Chizaram Ezenwata (17), Ryan Kavuma-McQueen (16), Joel Vidal-Philbert (16)

What is a B-List in the Champions League?

The B-List is designed to ensure that young players have a role to play in the Champions League, as it supplements the 25-man A-List.

Clubs can name whoever they want on their A-List, but that’s not the case with the B-List.

To be named on this list there are two stipulations:

The player must be born on or after 1 January of the year that is 21 years before the current season starts. In this case, players born on or after 1 January 2024 can be named here.

The player must have been registered for the club for an uninterrupted period of at least two years since turning 15.

Clubs are allowed to update their B-List up to midnight before each matchday.

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