The way Chelsea FC deals with players it no longer has any use for is only partly consistent with the statements made by coach Enzo Maresca. The latest example: the shirt numbers.
When Joao Felix gave his first interview after his return to Chelsea FC on Wednesday, he also spoke about wanting to make the club his new “home”: “After two loan spells – Chelsea and Barca – I simply had to stay in one place permanently. And there’s no better place for me than Chelsea, it’s the perfect place to shine.”
However, it remains to be seen whether it really is the perfect place to call home. After all, few players have managed that since the change of ownership in 2022. The Blues are once again trying to get rid of numerous players at the last minute and are taking a tough approach: A larger group – coach Enzo Maresca spoke of “15 to 20” professionals on Wednesday – are only allowed to train separately and will also no longer be called up to the matchday squads.
Sterling and Chalobah no longer have shirt numbers
In order to make it even clearer who is better off leaving the club if they want to play soccer in 2024/25, the Blues have now also unceremoniously reassigned two shirt numbers: Raheem Sterling, the most prominent member of the squad, had to relinquish his number 7 to €60 million new signing Pedro Neto, who still wore 19 in the Premier League opener against Manchester City (0:2). And Trevoh Chalobah, a particularly attractive sales candidate as a home-grown player and an important pillar of the defense in the final stages of pre-season, has lost his 14, which Joao Felix will receive.
Sterling and Chalobah still appear in the squad list on the official Chelsea website, which was recently reduced from over 40 to 33, but no longer have a shirt number. Sterling’s contract runs until 2027, Chalobah’s until 2028, while players such as Romelu Lukaku and Kepa are no longer on the list, even though they have not yet signed for any other club.
“From my point of view, it’s not brutal, it’s honest,” said Maresca on Wednesday about his dealings with Sterling, Ben Chilwell & Co.
