The inevitable problems of Chelsea’s bloated squad started even before the season kicked off, with Raheem Sterling announcing his discontent an hour before their opener against Man City.
Moments after the squad was announced and the forward had been left out, Sterling’s representatives released a statement saying they wanted “clarity” about his role at the club and that they had expected him to be involved.
Chelsea have a 42-man squad according to their club website, with boss Enzo Maresca saying there are 30 players in it.
That includes 11 summer signings.
Only 20 can fit in a matchday squad, so Sterling was among the many names to miss out for the first game of the season against Manchester City, which they lost 2-0.
They became only the second team in Premier League history to hand out four debuts in one game.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards accused Sterling of “letting his team-mates down” while ex-Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp described the statement as “absolute rubbish”.
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin, watching for BBC Radio 5 Live, said Sterling “looks to be the next one on the block” at the club, with the futures of Conor Gallagher, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah and Romelu Lukaku all in doubt.
“I want Raheem Sterling but I want all the 30 players we have,” said Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino this summer.
“But there is no space for all of them. So for some of them, they have to leave.”
