Four Chelsea players brutally axed from Club World Cup squad including surprise decision

Chelsea travel to the Club World Cup this summer to face LAFC, Flamengo and Espérance in the US and Blues boss Enzo Maresca has already made some brutal calls when it comes to his squad

Chelsea have axed almost £150m worth of talent from their Club World Cup squad including Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix. The Blues are set to travel over to the US over the coming days as they get their tournament underway.

Enzo Maresca’s side will take on MLS side LAFC in the group stage ahead of clashes with Flamengo and Tunisian outfit Esperance. Ahead of the tournament, the Blues boss has made a number of brutal decisions when it comes to his squad.

£50m man Raheem Sterling has been left at home following his dreadful loan spell with Arsenal last season. £45m signing Joao Felix has also been axed.

The Portuguese forward only returned to Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis last summer but was sent out on loan to AC Milan after just a few months. Defender Axel Disasi is also among those to have been omitted after spending the second-half of last season with Aston Villa.

However, the most surprising call is potentially the decision to drop goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic. The Serbian was expected to step up after Chelsea’s failure to sign French stopper Mike Maignan from AC Milan.

READ MORE: Chelsea target Jamie Gittens speeds away from Dortmund training ground as transfer collapsesREAD MORE: When summer transfer window reopens as first deadline for Club World Cup passes

He performed excellently on loan with French side Strasbourg last term and would have provided competition for Chelsea’s current crop of goalkeepers Robert Sánchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders. But the West London side have reasoned that the Club World Cup represents an extension of the 2024/25 season so want consistency over their loanees – the majority of which have been left behind.

The only exception to that rule is the addition of Andrey Santos who has returned to the club ahead of the tournament. A number of clubs are now interested in signing Petrovic permanently, according to The Telegraph.

The 25-year-old was signed from New England Revolution in 2023 and made 31 appearances across his debut campaign before moving to Strasbourg on loan. He remains under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2030.

Who will win the Club World Cup? Share your predictions in the comments below

Meanwhile, Maresca has already pointed to his desire to add the Club World Cup to the Conference League title that Chelsea have already won. He said: “When you are at Chelsea, your goal is always to win.

“Our goal – each and every single game – will always be to try to win them all. You need to see it [replicating coaches of years gone by] as a source of fantastic motivation. When we’re there, that will be one of our goals: to try to win it.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.