Chelsea hint at worrying injury news after confirming Conference League squad changes

Chelsea have announced their squad for the Conference League knockout stage and in doing so have hinted at some concerning injury news. With the January transfer window closed, clubs have had to submit their updated squads that will compete in Europe’s top competitions for the rest of the season. Five players have dropped off Chelsea’s A-list after they secured moves away from Stamford Bridge last month, namely Axel Disasi, Renato Veiga, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Joao Felix.

As per UEFA rules, a maximum of just three players can be added to their squad, with the Blues calling up Cole Palmer, Trevoh Chalobah and deadline day signing Mathis Amougou. Palmer was surprisingly omitted from the squad for the league phase of the competition but Enzo Maresca has not hesitated in putting his star player in for the business end of the campaign. However, there is no place for Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia which could be a sign that the duo won’t be featuring much – if at all – in any competition until next season.

Like Palmer, both players were left out of the initial squad with Maresca stating that they needed to be cautious with the pair as they continued to recover from injuries that ruled them out for nearly all of last season. Fofana and Lavia have been impressive this campaign and though both currently injured, they surely would be key players for Chelsea in the latter stages of the Conference League. But their absence would hint that the club don’t think they will recover in time to make an impact, seemingly confirming fans’ worst fears.

At the start of the year, Maresca said Fofana could miss the rest of the campaign with a thigh issue, only for the centre-back himself to rubbish this and claim he would be fit by mid-February. Lavia also injured his thigh and while it was initially said that he’d miss a few weeks, the Chelsea head coach now says it is a long-term issue, with some reports claiming the midfielder is out until April.

‘Romeo is still in the process to come back but there’s still a long way to go,’ Maresca said in his press conference ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup clash at Brighton. It remains to be seen if we’ll see Fofana and Lavia on the pitch again in 2024/25 but the signs are not promising. Chelsea are the overwhelming favourites to win the Conference League, topping the league phase with six wins from six games, and will learn that last-16 opponents in the draw on February 21.

To add to their injury woes, Maresca revealed on Friday that striker Marc Guiu could also be sidelined for ‘months’ with a ‘bad injury’. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Arrow MORE: Player branded ‘flop of the season’ tipped to turn Arsenal career around as Mikel Arteta hunts down Liverpool. Arrow MORE: Chelsea board slammed for making £25m transfer ‘mistake’.