The Chelsea players who aren't registered for the Conference League | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca's start to life at Chelsea has been far from plain sailing, with issues on the pitch and in the dressing room.

Many of the problems the Italian faces stem from another frantic transfer window in which Chelsea have stocked up on young talent and discarded less popular figures. Academy graduates Conor Gallagher, Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall have all been shipped off for big money to allow room for various youngsters from across the globe.

However, Chelsea have not been able to sell as quickly as they have recruited, leaving them with a bloated squad at the start of the 2024/25 season. That's caused issues within the dressing room already as Maresca makes ruthless decisions on the futures of key players.

Sunday's Premier League opener saw several high-profile names cut from the squad, prior to which a host of players had been exiled to train with the youth teams. With a clash this Thursday in the UEFA Conference League, the Blues have been hitting the headlines again.

When do Chelsea play Servette?

Chelsea kick off their first ever Conference League campaign on Thursday at Stamford Bridge. Maresca's side take on Swiss outfit Servette in the first leg of their play-off. The winner of the two-legged tie secures automatic progression to the league phase of the Conference League.

An evening kick-off provides Chelsea with another opportunity to claim their first competitive win under their new boss after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City last Sunday. The west Londoners will be eager to avoid an almighty upset.

Chelsea players missing from squad vs Servette

Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling have been left out / Lyndsay Radnedge/ISI Photos/GettyImages

Chelsea have submitted their 21-man squad of A List senior players for Thursday's clash and there are several notable omissions. Both Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell were left out of Sunday's battle with Manchester City and are cut from the squad again after being told they're free to leave the club.

Wesley Fofana is also missing for both legs but is simply rested. Tosin Adarabioyo had been left out but that was down to an administrative error, with the summer signing having since been added.

Others missing are those in the process of being forced out of the club. They include Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, David Datro Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah - the latter receiving interest from Aston Villa.

Despite facing uncertain futures, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Djordje Petrovic all trained with the first-team squad on Wednesday, although latest summer signing Joao Felix was absent.

What has Enzo Maresca said about his overcrowded squad?

Enzo Maresca has been ruthless this summer / Eddie Keogh/GettyImages

Maresca has already told a number of Chelsea players that they are not part of his plans, including the aforementioned Sterling and Chilwell.

Speaking before the Servette game, the Italian revealed: "I spoke with Raheem before the Manchester City game, I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is why he was out of the squad.

"With Chilwell, I said he is a lovely guy but, because of his position with us, he is going to struggle. If you define this as brutal that is for you to decide, I say this is honesty."

On the size of the Chelsea squad, he added: "[It's] almost impossible to keep them all content. I just try to be honest with all of them. The noise is all outside, I am working with 21-22 players, I'm not working with 42 players. We are 42-43 players, but more than 15 players are training apart.

"I just have to think about who is best for us. If they have six-year or 20-year contracts, I'm just here to make best decisions for the team. The contracts are not my job."