Chelsea omit Djordje Petrovic from Club World Cup squad as exit rumours swirl | OneFootball

Chelsea have raised plenty of eyebrows with their decision to omit goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic from their Club World Cup squad.

According to the Telegraph, the 25-year-old will not travel to the United States despite his strong performances on loan at RC Strasbourg.

Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi have also been omitted. Chelsea have chosen to maintain continuity by leaving out some players who spent the previous campaign on loan.

However, they have made an exception for Andrey Santos, who also spent last season on loan at Strasbourg alongside Petrovic.

He was named in the squad in place of Mathis Amougou, who is heading out on loan to Strasbourg. New signings Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr also made the cut.

Given the season Petrovic had at Strasbourg, his exclusion will be a massive blow. He was a standout performer for the French side, making 31 appearances in the league.

He kept 10 clean sheets – a tally only bettered by Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier (11) and Stade Rennais shot-stopper Brice Samba, who won the Golden Glove (12).

Petrovic’s exclusion has raised doubts about his long-term future at Chelsea.

The Blues initially planned to give him a chance to battle for a first-team spot along with Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders.

But they saw an opportunity to sign Mike Maignan from AC Milan for a cut-price deal and explored it. However, they couldn’t agree a fee with the Serie A giants.

With the deal now dead in the water, Chelsea will use what they have at their disposal, although at least one of them will leave the club this summer, either on loan or permanently.

Petrovic could be the one to make way despite proving himself in France.