Why Chelsea left Cole Palmer out of this season's UEFA Conference League squad for group stage

Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana have been left out of Chelsea's squad for the league stage of the Conference League as the Blues look to manage the workload of their star players across a club season that could run into mid-July.

Enzo Maresca's side confirmed their 25 man group to compete in the first six fixtures of the competition on Thursday, a selection that included a number of eye-opening absentees. Palmer, last season's leading goalscorer, is the most notable absentee. Also missing are Lavia and Fofana, both of whom missed the vast majority of the 2023-24 campaign with injuries. According to team sources, the decision to leave these three players out is one of load management in a season where Chelsea will be competing for five trophies. 

After their Premier League campaign concludes on May 25, it will be around a three-weeks break before the 2021 European champions kick off their involvement in the first staging of FIFA's revamped Club World Cup. Were Chelsea to go all the way to the final of that competition their season would conclude on July 13, around a month before the start of the 2025-26 domestic season.

Chelsea are strong favorites to win the Conference League and will expect to secure a top-eight berth from a fixture list that pits them against the likes of Gent, Astana and Shamrock Rovers. Should they reach the knockout stages of the competition, some or all of the trio could be registered.

Palmer played over 3,600 minutes of club football last season before playing a significant role in England's run to the final of Euro 2024. Lavia and Fofana spent most of 2023-24 watching on from the sidelines; the former played 33 minutes across all competitions while the latter did not feature at all after suffering a major knee injury in preseason.

Ben Chilwell has also been left out of the squad after failing to secure a transfer away from the club in the summer window.