Why has Cole Palmer been left out of Chelsea’s squad for the Conference League?

Chelsea have taken the bold decision not to include star forward Cole Palmer in their squad for the group stages of the UEFA Conference League.

The Blues only managed to secure qualification for European soccer’s third-tier continental club competition after a poor 2023/24 campaign. Palmer was one of few bright spots last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year Award and receiving a call-up for England’s Euro 2024 squad.

Palmer has been left out of Chelsea’s Conference League squad in a bid to manage his minutes, Sky Sports News reports on Thursday. The 22-year-old is one of the first names on the team sheet for the Blues but they have a vast squad and this UEFA competition offers the chance to give fringe players much-needed playing time.

Alongside Palmer, the likes of Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are also not included in the UECL squad for Chelsea.

Can Chelsea add Cole Palmer to Conference League squad?

New Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca opted not to include Palmer in the club’s 27-man squad for the group stage of the UEFA Conference League. The Blues should have no problems progressing to the knockout stages and the group stage games will give them much-needed opportunity to rotate their bulging squad.

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Assuming that they progress, Maresca will be able to add Palmer and others ahead of the knockout games.

Teams are given the opportunity to make three changes to their squads ahead of the deadline on February 6, 2025. Palmer looks likely to return to the team at that stage and Chelsea will hope that his quality came help bring silverware back to Stamford Bridge after a frustrating few years since the departure of Thomas Tuchel.