To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Cole Palmer left out of Chelsea's squad for UEFA Conference League

breaking

Cole Palmer left out of Chelsea's squad for UEFA Conference League

Cole Palmer will not be involved in Chelsea's UEFA Conference League group games.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Cole Palmer has been omitted from Chelsea's Conference League 27-man squad along with two teammates.

After narrowly getting past Servette in a two-legged play-off, the Blues will play six games in the new 36-team league format.

They will come up against Gent, Panathinaikos, Noah, Heidenheim, Astana and Shamrock Rovers - with three games at home and three taking place away.

But their talisman and top scorer last season will not be involved in any of the fixtures, it has emerged.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the squad was submitted at midnight on Wednesday and Palmer has been left out along with Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia.

Football.London claim the decision has been made due to" load management" - as Chelsea look to manage Palmer's minutes.

Chelsea will participate in five competitions this season, including the revamped Club World Cup.

Palmer featured in the qualifying round but will not be eligible to play in any Conference League matches as it stands.

The former Manchester City playmaker, who won the PFA Young Player of the Year award after a stunning season where he scored 25 times and registered 15 assists in all competitions, is currently injured and pulled out of the recent England squad.

Image: Getty
Image: Getty

If Enzo Maresca's side progress, Palmer could still be brought back into the fold for the knockout stages, where Chelsea will be able to make a total of three changes in February.

New signings Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix and Pedro Neto have all been included, while goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli has been replaced by Lucas Bergstrom after being in the play-off squad.

Chelsea's 27-man squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Sanchez, Jorgensen, Bergstrom

Defenders: Disasi, Cucurella, Tosin, Badiashile, James, Gusto, Veiga, Colwill*, Acheampong*

Midfielders: Fernandez, Madueke, Chukwuemeka, Nkunku, Sancho, Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo, Casadei, George*, Dyer*

Forwards: Neto, Mudryk, Felix, Jackson, Guiu

*Included in the UEFA B list.

Chelsea's first game in the Conference League is on 3 October when they take on Belgian side Gent.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Chelsea, Cole Palmer, Europa Conference League

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

X

@joshlawless_