Chelsea FC has confirmed the inclusion of new signings Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr, and Dário Essugo in their 28-man squad for the upcoming Club World Cup. Notably absent from the roster are Raheem Sterling, João Félix, and Axel Disasi.
The west London side is set to clash with Mexican team Club León in their tournament opener in Atlanta on June 16.
Delap, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town on June 4, will represent the club in the Club World Cup rather than participating in the U21 European Championship with England, where he was originally slated to play. He joins fellow new signings Sarr and Essugo at Chelsea.
This squad reshuffling is indicative of the substantial changes at Chelsea since the Todd Boehly-led Clearlake Capital consortium took over the club.
Raheem Sterling, who transferred to Chelsea in 2022, spent the previous season on loan with Arsenal after being deemed surplus to requirements by head coach Enzo Maresca.
João Félix, who made a permanent move from Atlético Madrid in 2024 after a successful loan period, was loaned to AC Milan during the last January transfer window.
Disasi has featured in 37 matches for Chelsea since his acquisition in 2023, enjoying a loan spell at Aston Villa during the latter half of the past season.
All three omitted players, along with Ben Chilwell, will not be making the trip to the United States, whereas Christopher Nkunku, whose future at the club is uncertain, has been named in the squad.
Additionally, Chelsea has confirmed Jadon Sancho’s return to Manchester United, as the option to make his loan permanent was not utilized. Sancho announced his departure from Chelsea via social media last week.
Chelsea’s Club World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Robert Sánchez, Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Gabriel Slonina
Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoît Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Mamadou Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Aaron Anselmino, Josh Acheampong
Midfielders: Moisés Caicedo, Andrey Santos, Romeo Lavia, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Dário Essugo, Enzo Fernández
Forwards: Pedro Neto, Liam Delap, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Tyrique George, Marc Guiu