Chelsea have rather bizarrely bolstered their Champions League squad by adding 33 players to it just hours before their European clash against Ajax at Stamford Bridge this evening.
Enzo Maresca’s side are looking to build on their recent run of form, having beaten Benfica last time out in the Champions League before boasting wins against Liverpool and, most recently, Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Currently, the west London side are 19th in the 36-team league phase after two games with three points. Chelsea lost 3-1 away against Bayern Munich in gameweek one before their 1-0 win over Benfica.
Coming into the Ajax fixture, Chelsea are heavy favourites and should make light work of the side managed by former Liverpool assistant manager and Everton defender John Heitinga.
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Ahead of the match, the Ajax boss homed in on the quality and depth of the Blues’ squad, suggesting the fact “Jorrell Hato, one of our (Ajax’s) best players last season, is on the bench and hardly plays” as something that shows the difference between the clubs.
And despite having stars such as Moises Caicedo, Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto and promising Brazilian Estevao to choose from, the club have registered an additional 33 players in their squad ahead of the match – including the son of former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, Isago.
The players have been added to an unlimited List B, which is allowed by UEFA.
As relayed by BBC Sport, sources at the club say the move has been made for ‘administrative reasons’.
According to UEFA regulations, clubs must not have more than 25 players on their List A in one season.
A minimum of eight places are also reserved for ‘locally trained’ and ‘club-trained’ players, while four are kept for ‘association-trained players’. The clubs must confirm which category each player falls under.
Essentially, a club or locally trained player is anyone registered with the club between the ages of 15 and 21, regardless of their nationality, for a period of three or more seasons or a period of 36 months.
An association-trained player is one registered by the club or affiliated teams between the ages of 15 and 21 for a period of 36 months or three seasons.
Each club is permitted to register an unlimited number of List B players by no later than midnight on the day of the game.
Chelsea's B List squad
Goalkeepers: Ted Curd, Max Merrick, Jack Austin, Hudson Sands, Toby Bell.
Defenders: Genesis Antwi, Richard Olise, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Kobe Barbour, Harry McGlinchey, Kaiden Wilson, Olutayo Subuloye, Joseph Wheeler-Henry, Calvin Diakite, Isago Silva, Lewi Richards, Dante Waite.
Midfielders: Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Jimi Tauriainen, Reggie Walsh, Harrison McMahon, Leo Cardoso, Landon Emenalo, Sol Gordon, Ollie Harrison, Yahua Idrissi, Frankie Runham, Shaun Wade, Charles Holland, Ibrahim Rabbaj.
Forwards: Ato Ampah, Shim Mheuka, Chizaram Ezenwata, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Joel Vidal Philbert.
Topics: Chelsea, Champions League, Football, Enzo Maresca, Ajax, Thiago Silva
Luke Davies