• [Dailystar Icon]
• Sport
• Football
• Chelsea FC

Chelsea cut four stars from Club World Cup plans including shock decision by Enzo Maresca

Chelsea are set to travel to the US over the coming days as they get their Club World Cup campaign underway - but a number of big-money signings have missed out on a place in the squad

[Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca]

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has made some tough decisions(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Chelsea have culled nearly 150m worth of talent from their Club World Cup squad, including Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix.

The Blues are preparing to jet off to the US in the coming days to kick-start their tournament. Enzo Maresca's men will face MLS team LAFC in the group stage, before squaring off against Flamengo and Tunisian side Esperance. Ahead of the competition, the Chelsea gaffer has made some ruthless calls regarding his squad.

50m flop Raheem Sterling has been left behind after a dismal loan stint at Arsenal last season. 45m signing Joao Felix has also been given the chop. The Portuguese forward only returned to Stamford Bridge on a full-time basis last summer but was shipped out on loan to AC Milan after just a few months.

Defender Axel Disasi is also among those who've been dropped, following his second-half season at Aston Villa. However, the most eyebrow-raising decision could be the choice to bench goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

The Serbian was tipped to step up after Chelsea's failed attempt to sign French goalie Mike Maignan from AC Milan, reports the Mirror.

[Djordje Petrovic]

Djordje Petrovic performed well with Strasbourg last season(Image: Getty Images)

He had a cracking loan spell with French team Strasbourg last term and would have posed a challenge for Chelsea's current goalkeepers Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders.

But the West London club have argued that the Club World Cup is an extension of the 2024/25 season, so they want consistency over their loanees - the majority of whom have been left behind.

The only player breaking the mould is Andrey Santos, who's made a comeback to the club just in time for the tournament.

The Telegraph reports that there's a growing queue of clubs eager to snap up Petrovic on a full-time basis.

Watch the Club World Cup free on DAZN

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

[Content Image]

0

DAZN

Get DAZN here

Product Description

The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.

Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.

The 25 year old midfielder was snapped up from New England Revolution in 2023 and clocked up 31 appearances in his first season before jetting off to Strasbourg on loan. He's tied down at Stamford Bridge with a contract running until 2030.

On another note, Maresca has openly expressed his ambition to bag the Club World Cup alongside Chelsea's already secured Conference League trophy.

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."

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.