Why Cole Palmer has been excluded from Chelsea’s Conference League squad

Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana have been excluded from Chelsea's Conference League squad.

The Blues have been consigned to playing Europe’s third tier competition this season following a disappointing campaign under Mauricio Pochettino last term.

Enzo Maresca’s side qualified for the group stages after a nervy 3-2 aggregate win over Servette last week.

After a breakthrough 12 months, during which he has cemented his place as an integral part of the Stamford Bridge midfield and a senior England international, Chelsea are understood to be mindful of the 22-year-old’s workload.

Fofana and Lavia, meanwhile, have endured a difficult year with injuries and Enzo Maresca wants to take a cautious approach with two players who look set to feature prominently under him.

Chelsea can make a maximum of three changes for the knockout phase, assuming they qualify, when they re-submit their squad on 6 February 2025.

It has been another summer of upheaval at Chelsea, meanwhile, both on and off the pitch, and another significant change was confirmed on Thursday when it was announced that chief executive Chris Jurasek had left the club to be replaced by Jason Gannon.

Jurasek will return to Clearlake Capital, the co-controlling owners of Chelsea, after just over a year in the role at the club.

Gent (H)

Heidenheim (A)

Astana (A)

Shamrock Rovers (H)

Panathinaikos (A)

Noah (H)

Goalkeepers: Sanchez, Jorgensen, Bergstrom

Defenders: Disasi, Cucurella, Tosin, Badiashile, James, Gusto, Veiga, Colwill, Acheampong

Midfielders: Fernandez, Madueke, Chukwuemeka, Nkunku, Sancho, Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo, Casadei, George, Dyer

Forwards: Neto, Mudryk, Felix, Jackson, Guiu

‘I am incredibly proud to have led this historic football club into its next chapter,’ Jurasek said.

‘We have accomplished the task of building a team both on and off the pitch that means the club is well-positioned for long-term success.’

During his time at the helm, Jurasek made several decisions that were met with disapproval by Chelsea’s match-going supporters, including referring to them as customers rather than fans.

He also ended a long-standing bus subsidy for away fans and implemented the first general admission season ticket price increases in over a decade.