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Analysis
- 8 hours ago
Romano confirms new Chelsea 'Bomb Squad' as €50m man STRIPPED of number
Tom Weber
- Updated: 11 Jun 2025 09:31 CDT
- 4 min read
News
The latest iteration of Chelsea's 'Bomb Squad' is taking shape as several big-money stars have been omitted from the Blues' Club World Cup roster.
The West London club's activity in the transfer market has been unprecedented since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover in 2022, with the new ownership splashing more than €1 billion on dozens of incomings.
The player turnover has been so great that many of the stars signed in the early days of the Boehly regime have already been replaced or offloaded. Last summer, Chelsea assembled a 'Bomb Squad' of unwanted people who were forced to train alone in order to push them out of the club.
Compared
João Félix
F (L), M (C)
Milan
João Félix
F (L), M (C)
Milan
VS
Raheem Sterling
F, AM (R), M (L)
Arsenal
Raheem Sterling
F, AM (R), M (L)
Arsenal
|
|
ETV |
|
| €22.9M - €28M | ETV Range | €15.7M - €19.2M |
| 25 years old (10 Nov, 1999) | Age | 30 years old (08 Dec, 1994) |
|
Portugal
|
Nationality |
England
|
With the Blues still boasting a bloated squad and continuously looking to add even more players - they already have five fresh faces coming in this summer - a new 'Bomb Squad' is beginning to crystallise.
Chelsea have registered their roster for the Club World Cup in the US, and it has given Enzo Maresca the opportunity to send a clear message to the players who are surplus to requirements.
Chelsea axe Felix, Petrovic and Disasi
Due to the unusual start date of the tournament, several Chelsea players are still technically under contract with loan clubs, and the Blues have made no effort to bring them in ahead of schedule.
The only exception to this is Andrey Santos, who has flown out to the US with Chelsea as he is expected to be an important part of the first team next season.
However, the likes of Joao Felix, Djordje Petrovic, Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi have been left on the books of their respective loan clubs in what is a clear indication that they are no longer welcome at Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, Fabrizio Romano confirms Chelsea will 'look for solutions on the market' for Sterling and Felix, the latter of whom only joined the club in a €52 million deal last year. The Portuguese has even been stripped of his number 14, which has been given to new signing Dario Essugo.
Regarding Petrovic, it was expected that he would come along for the Club World Cup to challenge Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen for the No.1 spot.
However, it seems that Chelsea are unwilling to give him a second chance to prove himself after all, despite his exceptional performances at Strasbourg this past season. Transfer insiders Ben Jacobs and Tom Bogert report that Petrovic is now expected to leave the club.
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