Cole Palmer is one of three senior Chelsea players who have been left out of the club’s UEFA Conference League squad.
Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana were not among the names submitted by the club ahead of the deadline on Wednesday, meaning all three will play no part in the Blues’ six Conference League league phase matches this season. football.london understands the decision has been taken in relation to load management, with the club involved in five different competitions throughout the season.
Chelsea can register three new eligible players during the winter, if they wish, so Palmer could yet play a part for the west Londoners in the competition. 
The omission of Lavia and Fofana from the initial squad is perhaps understandable given their fitness issues, but Palmer was Chelsea’s talisman last season and their best player. The 22-year-old scored 27 goals and assisted his teammates 15 times in 48 appearances, and played a huge part in Chelsea qualifying for the Conference League following a slow start under Mauricio Pochettino.
So, have Chelsea made the right decision by leaving Palmer, Lavia and Fofana out of their Conference League squad? football.london’s writers have their say, below.
Bobby Vincent
Strange one, this, isn’t it? Nobody expected it. I had to check about three times before coming to the definitive conclusion that there was indeed no Palmer in the squad.
It feels like a risky move, but one that Chelsea should have more than enough to vindicate in the league phase. With no disrespect intended, have a look at some of the teams they are playing. They should be good enough to come through them with Palmer or without Palmer.
I hope for the club’s sake it is not a decision that comes around to haunt them in the future. It will be good for Palmer’s fitness both mentally and physically to have less game-time. This is a man that has played football pretty much non-stop ever since joining Chelsea, so the luxury of being able to rest him for the European games is surely a positive. I’m all for it.
Sam Truelove
If I were Cole Palmer, I would probably have mixed feelings. On one side, does a player of his quality really want to be travelling to Kazakhstan for a game on a Thursday night? Probably not. However, Palmer will want to win trophies this season and while the Conference League is not on the same level as the Premier League and Champions League, it is still silverware and should not be sniffed at.
Palmer will be hoping his teammates safely progress past the league phase, which they should do. It’s possible the England international is then added to the squad over the winter so he is eligible to play in the knockout rounds, which would be the dream scenario.
I completely understand not including Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana. Reece James is another who I would have potentially left out. Enzo Maresca clearly feels he has enough quality in the Chelsea ranks to progress past the league phase of the competition. For his sake, I hope he is right.
Tom Coley
Hindsight will be a wonderful thing. If Chelsea cruise the group phase (as they realistically should) without Palmer, and he keeps on crushing it domestically, then this will be labelled as a brilliant, gutsy call.
On the other hand, if the worst was to happen and Maresca struggles with his wider squad on Thursday nights then not even having the option of turning to Palmer from the bench – like he did against Servette in both play-off legs – could easily look foolish. Ultimately, Chelsea should be fine to go extremely deep into the competition without Palmer being included.
It will be a chance for Noni Madueke to step up on the right, for Marc Guiu to get a run of senior games, and also for the array of other attackers to stake a claim. Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix, and Mykhailo Mudryk are going to have to play at some point.
Palmer has also gone from rarely playing to being undropable for club and country in 12 months. That takes its toll. Chelsea have made a big call here but it’s probably the right one.
Lee Wilmot
This is a decision I just do not understand. Cole Palmer is Chelsea’s best player, surely you want your best players available in all squads?
He’s 22 years old, it’s not like he needs his minutes managed right now. And let’s be honest, he’s not going to play against Barrow in the Carabao Cup third round is he?
The Conference League may not be a major competition, but it’s European competition, something Palmer does not have a lot of experience of. He’s played 184 minutes of Champions League football in his career so far, plus 85 minutes in last season’s Super Cup for Manchester City.
I’m almost certain, despite it being Europe’s third tier competition, he would have wanted to play in it. There are no guarantees Chelsea will get into Europe next year, so this could be an opportunity missed for Palmer. An awful decision in my opinion.
Jake Stokes
I’m very happy with Chelsea’s squad for the Conference League group stage. It was a smart call to leave out two players, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, who were essentially sidelined for the entirety of last season due to serious injuries, so the Blues can manage their minutes in a controlled manner – they’re two very important players in Enzo Maresca’s side.
Chelsea could be competing in five competitions up until July 2025! The amount of games is insane. As for Cole Palmer… if the west Londoners can’t qualify from the Conference League league phase without him then they shouldn’t be in Europe. It’s that simple.
Last season, only Erling Haaland scored more goals than Palmer in the Premier League. During the same campaign Chelsea didn’t compete in Europe – so why risk losing him in the English top-flight just for the first stage of the Conference League? If the Blues struggle then the three players are signed up for the knockout stages.
It’s that easy. Ultimately, the Conference League will also be a brilliant opportunity for the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Marc Guiu to impress. Not to mention Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George and Kiano Dyer.
If any of those Cobham graduates or new signings had been omitted in place of Palmer then there would be a meltdown. At the end of the day, it’s a smart decision. Good work – not sure what the fuss is about.
