Chelsea FC have unveiled their squad lists for the second half of the season. The new rosters have been submitted to UEFA and the FA with a few notable changes; three to be exact.
The no. 14 and 15 shirts formerly belonging to André Schürrle and Mohamed Salah — who’ve moved on to Wolfsburg and Fiorentina, respectively — are absent. Sandwiched between Willian and Gary Cahill is the single addition of Juan Cuadrado, Chelsea FC’s newest member, who will be wearing the no. 23 shirt for the foreseeable future.
The Premier League squad consists of 27 members, with nine of them being under-21 players. EPL clubs are allotted a maximum of 25 registered spots, with the one caveat being that teams can add an unlimited number of players under the age of 21. This brings the Blues limited number to 18, which is well within league limits.
As well as age difference, eight of the 25 over-21 places must be reserved for homegrown players. A club is allowed to register less than a full squad if they cannot reach the maximum amount of HG players, yet they still must abide by the threshold of 17 non-homegrown players at the most.
The Champions League squads are a little different. Instead of differentiating between age groups the squads are split in the List A and List B. List A is allotted 25 total spots, eight of which are reserved for ‘locally trained players’; it’s then split between club trained and association trained. Club trained players for Chelsea must have been with the Blues for three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21. Of those eight only four are allowed to be association trained, or trained at a FA associated club other than Chelsea. The rest of List A can be comprised of players acquired from around the globe — the ones who make up most of Chelsea’s squad.
List B on the other hand is available for players born on or after the 1st of January, 1993. They must have trained with Chelsea two straight years since their 15th birthday. Registration spots are unlimited in List B.
Although it appears confusing at first it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of the vernacular.
In the Champions League as well as the Premier League, Chelsea FC are well under the limits set by each governing body. The addition of Juan Cuadrado should make up for the depth issues facing the Blues at the moment, and will add a new dynamic as the second half of the 2014/15 season kicks off.