Chelsea, as you might have heard, employ a lot of professional footballers.
The men’s first-team page of the club’s official website lists 43 players, though only 28 accompanied new head coach Enzo Maresca on the Premier League club’s recent pre-season tour in the United States.
Such is the vast headcount that a number of the squad — headlined by Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja — are working as part of a large separate group at the Cobham training complex in order to maintain the integrity of Maresca’s training sessions while exits to new teams are negotiated.
Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have a lot of selling to do before the summer transfer window shuts on August 30, particularly since Chelsea have already used up half of their six international loan spots to send out Andrey Santos and new signings Aaron Anselmino and Caleb Wiley. Players aged 21 or younger who are “club-trained” are exempt from world governing body FIFA’s loan limit.
For the purposes of this article, The Athletic is providing updates on players currently listed in Chelsea’s first-team squad, as well as loanees signed as part of co-owners Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly’s global youth recruitment drive and any player still under contract who played some minutes in a competitive match for the club in the 2023-24 season. Estevao Willian, Kendry Paez and Mike Penders have been omitted as they are set to formally join Chelsea in the summer of 2025.
The list below tallies 53 players (as many as there are on an NFL team), not the 43 listed by the club themselves, so get a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable…
Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have a busy couple of weeks in store (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Goalkeepers
Robert Sanchez — heads into the new season as Chelsea’s No 1 goalkeeper, though his position could come under threat quickly if he makes costly early errors.
Filip Jorgensen — was signed from Spain’s Villarreal for £20.7million this summer because he is seen as a better fit for Maresca’s system than Djordje Petrovic, the first choice in goal from the middle of last season. He will push Sanchez for a spot in the first XI.
Filip Jorgensen is tipped to be Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper this season (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Marcus Bettinelli — is very much the third-choice goalkeeper (his most recent — and only — Chelsea first-team appearance came in a January 2022 FA Cup tie against then non-League Chesterfield), but as one of the few veteran professionals in the squad, the 32-year-old has an influential voice in the dressing room.
Djordje Petrovic — is surplus to Maresca’s stylistic requirements only a year after joining from New England Revolution of MLS. He will be sold if Chelsea can recoup more than the £13.6million ($17.5m at the current exchange rate) they paid for him, or loaned out if they cannot.
Lucas Bergstrom — featured on that U.S. pre-season tour but is not in the first-team picture. The 21-year-old’s contract expires next June and it is unclear if it will be extended.
Gabriel Slonina — has joined League One side Barnsley on loan for the 2024-25 campaign having spent last season as Belgian club KAS Eupen’s starting goalkeeper after being farmed out there.
Kepa Arrizabalaga — wants to return to Real Madrid, where he spent last season on loan, but Chelsea are adamant they will sell rather than loan him out again. Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad saw an offer for him rejected last month.
Defenders
Axel Disasi — missed all of pre-season as he recovered from a summer hernia operation, but he will be one of Maresca’s three right-sided centre-back options when he returns.
Marc Cucurella — the £56million signing from summer 2022 looks set to be Chelsea’s first-choice left-back after enjoying an upturn in form and winning Euro 2024 with Spain. Could invert into midfield for Maresca.
Tosin Adarabioyo — the former Fulham man is viewed as a better fit for Maresca’s system than Chalobah, having worked with the Italian at Manchester City. Will compete with Disasi and Wesley Fofana for selection.
Benoit Badiashile — is one of Chelsea’s better passers out of defence, though his mental lapses remain a concern. Can play instead of Levi Colwill as a left-sided centre-back or alongside him.
Levi Colwill — is one of two Chelsea academy graduates regarded as untouchable by the ownership. Looks primed to be the starting left-sided centre-back, but could also shift to left-back.
Trevoh Chalobah — has been excluded from first-team consideration and is weighing up his options. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace could move for him in this window if Diego Carlos (Villa), Marc Guehi or Joachim Andersen (both Palace) depart.
Ben Chilwell — looks to be tactically obsolete in Maresca’s system. Still in the first-team squad but with no pathway to regular minutes, he is a prime candidate to be sold — though his wages and price tag narrow his potential market.
Chilwell and Chalobah could both leave the club this month (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Reece James — club captain and one of the best footballers in the squad, but he will find himself watching Malo Gusto play his spot from the sidelines if his disciplinary and injury records do not improve.
Malo Gusto — was one of Chelsea’s few developmental success stories last season. An excellent alternative to James at right-back, he may also be deployed at left-back by Maresca.
Wesley Fofana — finally fit after missing the entire 2023-24 season through injury, the £70million signing from summer 2022 goes into the season as first choice to partner Colwill in the heart of defence.
Josh Acheampong — taken on the U.S. tour at Chalobah’s expense, Chelsea regard the 18-year-old as an elite prospect at right-back or right centre-back — though his competition to play at either position is fierce.
Bashir Humphreys — is set for a loan or permanent move after not being picked in the 28 to go on the pre-season tour, though the 21-year-old’s destination is yet to be decided.
Alfie Gilchrist — the 20-year-old will spend the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Championship side Sheffield United after signing a new two-year contract, with a club option to extend it for a third, in April.
Aaron Anselmino — Chelsea loaned the 19-year-old straight back to Argentina’s Boca Juniors until at least January next year after he finalised his £17million move earlier this month.
Caleb Wiley — was signed from Atlanta United of MLS for £8.5million last month and immediately loaned to French sister club Strasbourg. Chelsea hope he can follow Gusto’s developmental trajectory at Lyon in 2022-23 with a full season of regular Ligue 1 minutes.
Chelsea view Acheampong as an elite prospect (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Midfielders
Enzo Fernandez — could well be Chelsea’s captain on the pitch regularly this season depending on James’ availability, though there are questions about his best role in Maresca’s midfield.
Lesley Ugochukwu — remains at Cobham after joining Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the US but is expected to be loaned out. The club are high on the £23.5million signing’s potential and he will not be sold this summer.
Carney Chukwuemeka — produced flashes of elite talent in an injury-plagued 2023-24. Selling the 20-year-old now is unlikely to yield a profit on the £20million Chelsea paid Villa for him two years ago and could also be a decision that would age poorly given his youth and potential.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall — arrived from Leicester for £30million last month as Chelsea planned for life without Conor Gallagher (see below). He flourished in Maresca’s system last season as Leicester won promotion as Championship title winners and the 25-year-old is seen as an ideal fit now.
Dewsbury-Hall was a key player for Maresca’s Leicester last season (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Conor Gallagher — is in career limbo as a proposed £33.7million move to Spain’s Atletico Madrid continues to stall. Chelsea are determined not to let him reach free agency next summer.
Cesare Casadei — is up for sale after an underwhelming loan stint with Maresca’s Leicester last season. A market for Casadei, 21, beyond the £13million paid to Inter Milan for him two years ago has been slow to develop.
Moises Caicedo — remains a cornerstone of the Clearlake/Boehly project, having by his own admission initially struggled last season with the £115million price tag that brought him to the club from Brighton & Hove Albion. He will be a key starter for Maresca.
Omari Kellyman — 18-year-old who missed the pre-season tour with an injury sustained before his £19million move from Villa in June and began his return to action with the development squad.
Renato Veiga — was signed for £11.8million from Switzerland’s Basel last month to provide Maresca with another option to invert into midfield from left-back. The 21-year-old is currently favoured over Chilwell.
Romeo Lavia — is slated to play a major role after injuries derailed his 2023-24 debut season following a £58million move from Southampton. He could be Caicedo’s understudy as the deepest midfielder for Maresca, or play alongside the Ecuadorian at times.
Will Romeo Lavia play a bigger role for Chelsea in 2024-25? (Chris Lee – Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Tino Anjorin — needs a fresh start and better injury luck. Too old at 22 to be exempt from the loan limit, the Cobham graduate should leave Chelsea permanently in this window.
Andrey Santos — is back at Strasbourg on loan after finishing 2023-24 strongly there. He only turned 20 in May and Chelsea believe he will develop into a first-team contributor at Stamford Bridge.
Leo Castledine — is earmarked for a Championship loan following an excellent 2023-24 with Chelsea’s development squad, though leading Scottish side Rangers have also been linked with him. Chelsea do not want to include an option to buy the 19-year-old in any loan deal.
Alex Matos — is available to go out on loan after spending the second half of 2023-24 as a regular starter at Huddersfield Town in the second tier. The 19-year-old was not originally for sale this summer, but clubs have shown interest, which could change Chelsea’s mind.
Jimi Tauriainen — is primed for his first developmental loan at age 20 after making two senior appearances as a late substitute for Chelsea’s first team last season, though his destination is not finalised.
Forwards
Raheem Sterling — is fully focused on the new season under Maresca despite Chelsea being very open to a sale that would offload the summer 2022 £47.5million signing’s huge salary.
Mykhailo Mudryk — continues to look lost in the Chelsea team, 18 months after his £62million signing from Shakhtar Donetsk. Cannot be viably sold and may find regular minutes on the left flank harder to come by following the recent arrival of Pedro Neto, a proven Premier League performer, from Wolves.
Noni Madueke — has been Chelsea’s most productive winger not named Cole Palmer. Chelsea think he has increased his value since he joined in January 2023, and they think he is now worth in the region of £60million. Graham Potter, Chelsea’s manager at the time, was one of the biggest advocates of that deal.
Nicolas Jackson — has grown his value significantly since signing from Spain’s Villarreal for £32million a year ago and will be Chelsea’s first-choice No 9 this season unless Victor Osimhen arrives from Napoli.
Christopher Nkunku — seems primed for a breakout Premier League season under Maresca after injuries limited his chances to show why Chelsea paid £52.7million for him in summer 2023.
Breakout season incoming for Christopher Nkunku? (Chris Lee – Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Armando Broja — is training away from the first team as he and Chelsea work to find him a new home, on loan or permanently. Any sale of the academy graduate would represent pure profit.
Cole Palmer — is the new king of Stamford Bridge after a spectacular debut season that established him as a bargain at an initial £40million from Manchester City. Just 22 and now under contract until June 2033.
Tyrique George — signed a new three-year contract in June with a club option to extend to 2028. The other outstanding 18-year-old, with Acheampong, from Cobham included in Maresca’s tour squad, his pathway to competitive first-team minutes is now more clogged after Neto’s arrival.
Deivid Washington — is a candidate for one of the remaining international loan spots a year after his £13.7million move from Brazil’s Santos, but could also be sold for an acceptable offer.
Marc Guiu — was slated to go on loan before Samu Omorodion’s move from Atletico Madrid collapsed. The 18-year-old could now begin 2024-25 as Jackson’s understudy after a positive individual pre-season.
Angelo Gabriel — was part of Maresca’s tour squad but has no realistic pathway to first-team minutes for Chelsea. At 19, another developmental project who needs a loan after spending 2023-24 with Strasbourg.
David Datro Fofana — a striker Chelsea hope to sell for more than the £10million paid to sign him from Molde of Norway in January 2023, after the 21-year-old’s productive loan stint in the Premier League with Burnley last season.
Romelu Lukaku — should be a Napoli player by next month, though Chelsea want as close to the £38million release clause in his contract as possible. Another loan for the 31-year-old will not be considered after being borrowed by Inter Milan and Roma for the past two seasons.
Pedro Neto — is expected to provide a more productive option on both wings after his £51.4million move to Stamford Bridge following five years at Molineux. Could start ahead of Sterling and Mudryk.
Neto is the latest addition to Chelsea’s squad (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Diego Moreira — having been loaned to Lyon last season following a move from Benfica, the 20-year-old is likely to go back to France, joining Strasbourg either on loan or as a permanent signing, with the latter preserving Chelsea’s finite number of remaining international loan spots.
Mason Burstow — the 21-year-old is available to buy after an underwhelming 2023-24 on loan at Sunderland in the Championship, but could also leave on loan.
(Header design: Dan Goldfarb, photos via Getty Images)
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