Who will leave Chelsea? How Blues could cut 41-man squad

Chelsea are facing a decision on which players to cut from their 41-man squad, as new manager Xabi Alonso seeks to drastically reduce the number of players by the start of September. Despite being able to register as many players as they wish, Alonso is aware that having unused players could negatively affect team harmony. To reduce the squad to a more manageable 25 senior players, Chelsea will need to offload 16 players.

The Blues have a history of struggling with large squads, with Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi being stranded in recent seasons. This is now prohibited by FIFA, making it crucial to reduce the squad size significantly. Had Chelsea qualified for European competitions, they would have faced registration issues for certain players, as seen during their 2024-25 Conference League-winning season.

The club has shown financial responsibility by adhering to a Uefa settlement agreement for the next three seasons. Chelsea are known for their player trading, with Morgan Rogers, Marco Palestra, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, and Maxence Lacroix being key signings. Pep Chavarria is close to joining from Rayo Vallecano. However, the size of the squad remains a concern.

On Wednesday, they had 21 substitutes during a match against Juventus, with only five being academy players. Chelsea fielded a large number of players for their upcoming matches against AC Milan, Johor Darul Ta zim, and are expected to field two different teams. Several players are either injured or on holiday, including Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, and Emmanuel Emegha, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.

Additionally, five players are not training with the first team. Seven players are on holiday until next week due to their participation in the World Cup. Defender Trevoh Chalobah is set to join Como for £31m, while goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen will join Strasbourg on loan. The club is negotiating a £75m deal for Rayo Vallecano defender Pep Chavarria and expects other players to depart on loan, including Disasi and Mamadou Sarr.

Alonso has stated that the central defense needs reducing to four or five players. The projected squad for next season includes Robert Sanchez, Mike Penders, Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Reece James, Gusto, Chavarria, Caicedo, Fernandez, Barco, Lavia, Henderson, Quenda, Neto, Palmer, Estevao, Rogers, Gittens, Emegha, Joao Pedro, Welbeck. Players available for loan include Guiu, among others.