Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell have been left out of the latest Chelsea squad as Enzo Maresca prepares to face Servette this week in the Uefa Europa Conference League.
The Premier League club host the Swiss side at Stamford Bridge on Thursday in the first leg of their play-off tie with the winner advancing to the group phase of the competition.
Ahead of the match, The Standard reports that Sterling and Chilwell have been left out of the squad by Maresca, which follows the duo also being omitted at the weekend as the London club opened up their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Man City.
The winger’s camp released an extraordinary statement before the match related to Sterling’s situation with the 29-year-old’s camp seeking clarity over his role at Chelsea.
As for Chilwell, Maresca has already admitted that it would be best if the left-back looked for a new club as the defender is not in the Italian coach’s plans for the 2024/25 campaign.
The 44-year-old’s latest squad suggests that there is no way back for the English duo at Chelsea and it would not be a surprise to see them leave the West London club ahead of next week’s transfer deadline.
The full Chelsea squad for the Servette clash is attached below:
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Axel Disasi, Marc Cucurella, Benoit Badiashile, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Renato Veiga
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Noni Madueke, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cole Palmer, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia
Forwards: Mykhailo Mudryk, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Marc Guiu, Christopher Nkunku
Where will Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling play this season?
Sterling is now expected to leave Chelsea but there are not many clubs pursuing the English star. Juventus have been the biggest team linked to the winger in recent days, while Saudi Arabian clubs could make a move for the 29-year-old now that his availability has been made public.
The Blues star is still good enough to play in the Premier League and may look to stay in England’s top flight to prove a point to Chelsea.
The future of Sterling is one of the more interesting transfer stories to play out over the coming days as the winger finds himself among the many victims of Chelsea’s severe squad mismanagement this summer.