Chelsea make late emergency Champions League squad change due to injury amid Joao Felix call
Chelsea has made a late change to their Champions League squad despite the fact that the deadline for naming the 25-man squad has passed.
After signing eight players in January, a difficult decision had to be made, and 21-year-old Benoit Badiashile was the biggest loser as a result.
The Frenchman was omitted from the roster due to UEFA regulations prohibiting the addition of more than three players after the January transfer window.
After spending over £280 million during the winter transfer window and receiving three players who were more expensive than Badiashile, he did not make the cut.
Along with Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix, club record signing Enzo Fernandez was brought in. The choice appeared to be between Felix and Badiashile, with the Portuguese forward being favored.
Given the added energy and impetus he has provided the Chelsea attack when available, Graham Potter may have already been vindicated, but it is a harsh call for Badiashile, who has started his Stamford Bridge career with three consecutive clean sheets.
The defender had his toughest game to date against West Ham, but he appears to have formed the best partnership with Thiago Silva under Potter.
The new member has entered the squad outside of the 25-person limit. UEFA permits an unlimited number of changes to the B-list for players who meet the requirements of being under 21 and eligible to play for the club for two years.
Therefore, players such as Mudryk, Badiashile, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, and Fernandez are ineligible despite being of the appropriate age.
Lewis Hall, Armando Broja, and Charlie Webster are already members of the B-list squad. This trio is now complete with the addition of goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom.
Before returning in January, the academy graduate had been on his first senior loan at Peterborough, and it appears that was due to Edouard Mendy’s ongoing finger injury.
The Senegalese international has not played for the Blues since the World Cup due to a broken finger. Prior to that, he had been replaced as No. 1 by Kepa Arrizabalaga under Potter, and the decision to call up Bergstrom suggests he will not be returning soon.
Bergstrom can now travel to Germany with the Chelsea squad for the first leg of the last-16 match against Borussia Dortmund as the backup goalkeeper to Marcus Bettinelli.
UEFA rules allow for larger benches than domestic competitions, so Chelsea’s decision to name two goalkeepers as substitutes does not displace other players.
Chelsea make late emergency Champions League squad change due to injury amid Joao Felix call
