Osimhen call, three transfers, Gallagher wait – Dream Chelsea pre-season tour squad for Maresca

On July 17, 2023, Chelsea named a 29-man touring squad of USA under Mauricio Pochettino. Their first game came three days later in a match against Wrexham. The Premier League season began in three weeks more.

This time round and pre-season has started for new manager Enzo Maresca, but things aren’t quite as advanced. Partially due to the international commitments of many of his players over the past month or so, the Blues have only been in initial training at Cobham for less than two weeks.

Their first match in America will not be until July 25, eight days later than it was last summer, with the domestic season getting going three days later as well. In the next month they have six scheduled games, including one against their opening day opponents, Manchester City.

Before Maresca can truly start thinking about that, he must first decide who will make the cut to get on the plane in the first place. Given the sheer size of squad he is already working with, it is no easy task.

A board seen from the Cobham gym during his opening day accounts for 30 players being in the group last week. With Armando Broja returning since then, along with David Datro Fofana, plus new signings Renato Veiga and Marc Guiu, there are already too many players even for pre-season.

By the time Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, and Marc Cucurella come back from the European Championship, with Enzo Fernandez joining them from the Copa America, there may well be almost 40 players in the initial travelling squad. When Chelsea trained with 33 under Graham Potter at times in the back end of 2022/23, it was bloated; this would be taking it to another level.

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The total number is also not taking into account loanees who are unlikely to have any part in next season. These include Kepa Arrizabalaga and Romelu Lukaku. Gabriel Slonina, Malang Sarr, Harvey Vale, and Alex Matos all need to find a place to play their football as well.

Simply put, there is some trimming to do for Maresca. So here, football.london whittles down the numbers from the current squad and names a possible squad that could be taken.

Goalkeepers: Sanchez, Petrovic, Bergstrom, Bettinelli

These select themselves at the moment. Despite interest in several names as potential additions to compete for the No.1 spot, Chelsea would need to sell one of Rob Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic before anything happens here, and with both arriving last summer, it doesn’t appear likely.

Lucas Bergstrom could head out on loan before the season starts but may well find himself in America first. Marcus Bettinelli remains third choice. Don’t expect too much movement here. Eddie Beach continues to train with the senior side but may not make the trip.

Defenders: Chalobah, Chilwell, Cucurella, Gusto, Colwill, Adarabioyo, Disasi, Badiashile, Acheampong, Veiga, James

Things start to get more packed in the backline. With Tosin Adarabioyo already coming in on a free and Thiago Silva leaving at the end of his contract, there has been a one-in-one-out so far.

Wesley Fofana returning to training after missing the entirety of last season with injury also bolsters the numbers at the back, while Trevoh Chalobah missed most of 2023/24 with his own fitness issues.

Alfie Gilchrist could leave on loan at some stage too, but so far he appears likely to be part of the initial selection heading to the states. Cucurella will join up at some stage in the coming days and weeks after he is done celebrating with Spain.

Cobham graduate Josh Acheampong is set to get a chance to impress, having made his debut late on last season. The versatile defender will be aiming to stake a claim to effectively replace Gilchrist in the squad if he is to leave. Bashir Humphreys, meanwhile, impressed on loan last season and also on the tour under Pochettino, but has plenty to do to show he is worth keeping around.

Midfielders: Fernandez, Gallagher, Chukwuemeka, Santos, Caicedo, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, Dyer

There could be some serious change in this department before the season gets underway, or more likely when the window slams shut in around six weeks. For now, there are plenty of options, but these are liable to change.

Both Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are yet to come back from international duty but will do so in due course. There are also questions around the futures of Gallagher and Cesare Casadei.

Gallagher is expected to journey across the Atlantic Ocean when he is back in Surrey. Kiano Dyer will also travel with the first team, having been a standout for the youth sides last term.

Casadei could find himself out on loan, but nothing has progressed so far. The same is true of Andrey Santos, who had initially been expected to remain at Stamford Bridge before he headed out to Nottingham Forest (and then RC Strasbourg).

Lesley Ugochukwu has not yet been seen in training despite coming back from injury towards the end of last season. However, he also hit out at Thierry Henry for not being included in the French Olympic squad later this summer. He is thought to be training with that team, so he may have his pre-season impacted here.

Attackers: Mudryk, Madueke, Sterling, Jackson, Nkunku, Washington, Palmer, Guiu, George, Kellyman

Perhaps the most settled part of the squad currently. Chelsea are looking at new forwards – both strikers and wingers – but have a stacked lineup to start with.

Tyrique George, as another Cobham academy starlet, is one of the most exciting players to look out for here as he prepares for a chance to get into Maresca’s thinking. There isn’t likely to be too much movement either in or out though, so George is one of the few changes.

Angelo Gabriel got a shot last summer and had a decent loan in France last season. He could get the next month to impress, but another temporary deal feels likely. Marc Guiu is one of the few new signings to be included, although going back out on loan is an option for him as well.

Omari Kellyman will be in the same boat as Guiu in trying to get a point across to Maresca as a teenager hoping to make an impact. Deivid Washington is the same, but having done well for the Under-21s last season, he might find himself more in the mix during his second year at the club.

In total, it still leaves the squad at 33, but with the chance for some exits to come. There may also be transfers arriving during the tour as well. Victor Osimhen is a name back on the lips of many as a move away from Napoli appears to be back on.

Nico Williams is a winger the club are looking at too. It’s notable that some of the biggest deals of the 2023 summer didn’t happen until after the pre-season tour was finished, with Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, and Cole Palmer all arriving after the first game had been played.

Possible Chelsea pre-season squad: Sanchez, Petrovic, Bergstrom, Bettinelli, Chalobah, Chilwell, Cucurella, Gusto, Colwill, Adarabioyo, Disasi, Badiashile, Acheampong, Veiga, James, Fernandez, Gallagher, Chukwuemeka, Santos, Caicedo, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, Dyer, Mudryk, Madueke, Sterling, Jackson, Nkunku, Washington, Palmer, Guiu, George, Kellyman.