Chelsea is set to kick off another preseason campaign on U.S. soil this Wednesday night (U.S. time) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. They will face off against newly promoted League One side Wrexham, renowned as one of the oldest football clubs in the world and co-owned by celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Fans are eager to watch the Blues in action for the first time in over two months.
As usual, there have been numerous changes in the team setup. Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff have departed, replaced by Enzo Maresca and his team. The Italian manager takes charge of the Blues following his success in leading Leicester City to the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League last season.
There have also been significant changes in the player lineup. Legendary Brazilian center-back Thiago Silva has left the club to join his childhood team, Fluminense, in the Brazilian top division. Several players from the loan group, including Ian Maatsen and Hakim Ziyech, have been sold. On the incoming side, notable arrivals include Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who followed his manager from Leicester City. He is joined by Tosin Adarabioyo, who arrived on a free transfer from Fulham. Chelsea also brought Marc Guiu from Barcelona and Renato Veiga from FC Basel. These four players will be part of the preseason squad.
Two new signings, Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa and Caleb Wiley from MLS side Atlanta United, are not part of the traveling party. Kellyman is back at Cobham undergoing a rehabilitation program for a minor injury. Wiley is currently with the United States team for the Paris Olympics. Other notable absentees from the squad in the U.S. include Cobham graduate Trevoh Chalobah and Đorđe Petrović. The young Englishman is reportedly deemed surplus to requirements, as injured players are back and fit. He is likely to be sold before the transfer window closes. Meanwhile, Serbian Petrović is nursing an injury and will join the squad once he gets the all-clear.
There will be excitement among fans to see players returning from injury, such as club captain Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, and Lesley Ugochukwu, who all missed significant time last season. Wesley Fofana missed the entire season, while Levi Colwill faced injury setbacks and was often forced to play as a left-back under Pochettino.
From the academy, a few players in the squad will be hoping for a chance to shine. Eddie Beach and Lucas Bergstrom are in the goalkeepers' group. Josh Acheampong, who made his debut against Tottenham Hotspur in May, is a promising talent to keep an eye on. Among the attackers, Tyrique George is a name many will hope to see. He had an excellent campaign for Chelsea's youth teams and will also be looking to make an impression. Outside of the academy, the Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos will be part of the squad, even though he will join BlueCo-owned Strasbourg when the team returns from the U.S. tour.
Players who participated in the Euros and Copa America tournaments will join the squad in the coming days. Moisés Caicedo has already joined the team. According to Maresca, Argentine Enzo Fernandez will join the team on Monday.
There are also a few players Chelsea is looking to offload soon. Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is training alone in London as he weighs his options. Malang Sarr is reportedly close to leaving for RC Lens. Romelu Lukaku is on his way to Napoli to play under former manager Antonio Conte as per reports.
Fans are eager to see how the Blues will perform under their new manager. As long as there is a clear plan and strategy, fans will be pleased. They also hope not to see players playing out of position unnecessarily. Previous tours to the United States have left a sour taste due to unfortunate injuries to multiple players. Hopefully, they can navigate this tour and avoid such situations.