Transfer: Xabi Alonso Bans Five First-Team Players From Chelsea Training

Chelsea have placed at least four first-team players in a separate training group as new manager Xabi Alonso manages an unusually large senior squad.

The players reportedly training away from Alonso’s main first-team group are Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo, with their futures at the club uncertain.

According to reports, the arrangement differs from Chelsea’s approach last season, when players considered surplus to requirements, including Raheem Sterling and Disasi, were placed in a so-called “bomb squad.”

Those players trained at different times and were required to use academy facilities.

Under the current arrangement, however, the separate group trains at the same time as the main squad and retains access to the same facilities at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.

The decision is reportedly linked to the size of Chelsea’s senior squad, which currently contains more than 40 players.

The club believes dividing the squad into two groups is necessary to maintain the quality and intensity of training sessions while managing the large number of players.

The situation is also being handled carefully following new FIFA regulations introduced this summer concerning the treatment of players who are not part of a club’s immediate plans.

The new rules effectively restrict clubs from creating isolated “bomb squads” designed to marginalise unwanted players.

Chelsea’s current approach allows the affected players to continue training at the club’s main facility while remaining separate from Alonso’s principal group.

The development comes as Chelsea continue to reshape their squad under Alonso, who is expected to make decisions regarding several players before the transfer window closes.

Jackson and Delap face competition for attacking positions, while Disasi and Adarabioyo are also competing for places in a squad containing several defensive options.

The separate training arrangement could therefore change depending on transfers, injuries and Alonso’s assessment of his squad.

Chelsea will be keen to resolve the situation before the window closes, particularly given the size of their current squad and the need to maintain a manageable group for the new campaign.