Raheem Sterling Plus 8 Other Big Names Ruthlessly Banished from Chelsea Squad

Raheem Sterling headlines a group of nine Chelsea players conspicuously absent from the first-team section of the club's official website.

The 30-year-old former England international, along with eight others, doesn't even have a profile picture listed, raising questions about their future at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea face a race against time to find new homes for these players. The return of several individuals following extended breaks after the Club World Cup has further inflated the already massive squad, which currently stands at a staggering 47 players.

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This summer's spending spree, including the £60 million acquisition of Joao Pedro, has contributed significantly to the roster bloat.

While the club is reportedly close to selling striker Armando Broja and midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu to Burnley – two players missing from the website – a significant number of high-profile players remain in limbo.

Seven players, including Ugochukwu, who collectively cost Chelsea over £200 million, are without online profiles despite officially being part of the club. Even among the 31 players listed on the website, some, like Christopher Nkunku, could still depart before the transfer window closes on September 1st.

Interestingly, Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, currently facing a potential ban for a failed drug test, retains his profile picture, albeit in last season's kit. Adding to the complexity, six players are already out on loan, leaving Chelsea with a huge number of players and agents to manage.

Furthermore, the club is reportedly still pursuing RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons and Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho.

Sterling, a £47.5 million signing from Manchester City in 2022, and former England team-mate Ben Chilwell, a £50 million arrival from Leicester in 2020, have been effectively sidelined for over a year. Sterling secured a last-minute loan move to Arsenal last summer.

Chelsea's official first-team squad listed on the website comprises 31 players, including three goalkeepers, 11 defenders, seven midfielders, and 10 forwards.

Seven additional players are currently out on loan. The nine players without official profiles include defenders Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Renato Veiga, and Alfie Gilchrist; midfielders Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu; and forwards Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, and David Datro Fofana.

Chilwell and Disasi, a £38 million signing from Monaco in 2023, spent the latter half of last season on loan at Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, respectively.

Chukwuemeka, who joined from Villa in 2022 for an initial £15 million, has returned to training after a six-month stint at Borussia Dortmund. Similarly, Ugochukwu, a £23.5 million acquisition from Strasbourg in 2023, is back at Cobham after a season-long loan at Southampton.

Among the loaned players, Renato Veiga arguably made the most significant strides during his six months at Juventus. However, the Portuguese international, whose proposed move to Atletico Madrid appears to have fallen through, hasn't earned a place on Chelsea's website.

The same applies to Ivorian forward David Datro Fofana, a £10.5 million signing from Molde in January 2023, who returned early from a loan spell at Turkish club Goztepe due to injury. Despite being back in training, Fofana is another player expected to depart.

Chelsea's management faces a significant challenge in trimming the squad to a manageable size. Former manager Graham Potter previously revealed that the sheer number of players meant some had to sit on the floor during team meetings.