Chelsea have been very busy in the January transfer window already. So much so, that they could run into a Champions League problem.
Under owner Todd Boehly, the Blues have made six signings in the January transfer window, overhauling the squad Graham Potter inherited from Thomas Tuchel earlier in the season.
Boehly has handed his new manager new signings in the form of Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile and now Noni Madueke. But what does this all mean for their Champions League squad?
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Well, the Blues named 24 List A players when they announced their squad for the group stages in September. They were able to name 25, but only named 24, seven of whom had to be 'locally trained players', with UEFA rules stating from a squad of 25, eight must be reserved for locally trained players and if there are not eight, the squad must be reduced in size accordingly.
Chelsea do have enough players to name eight locally trained players, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount, Reece James, and Conor Gallagher all categorised as locally-trained or club-trained, while Ben Chilwell, Marcus Bettinelli, Carney Chukwuemeka and Raheem Sterling qualify as FA-trained.
There is an extra space in the squad for a new arrival this January, but there is another rule Chelsea must adhere to. Ahead of the round of 16, clubs can register a maximum of three new players by midnight on February 2.
With Chelsea already having signed six new players, decisions will have to be made on the three who get in the new squad and three three who sit out, particularly as it does not look like Boehly and Potter are finished at just six transfers.
Benoit Badiashile has started two Premier League games alongside Thiago Silva now and helped the Blues keep back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since October. He could be one of the three chosen, with Joao Felix only on loan and Mykhailo Mudryk likely to be the other two currently, given their pedigree.
That would mean Madueke sitting out, alongside Santos and Fofana, who are payers for the future, rather than the here and now. It also remains to be seen who of the current Champions League squad sits out, with two foreign players and one locally trained player likely to be ousted to make way for the new signings. What happens if Chelsea make more signings is going to be interesting to see.
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