How many players does Chelsea actually have?

L'Equipe · Jul 22, 2026 09:08 · 3 min read

Key stats from Jannik Sinner's dominant win over Jiri Lehecka — Logo L'ÉQUIPE

Although less bloated than a few seasons ago, Chelsea's squad is still larger than that of its Premier League rivals. With every transfer window, any pretext is good enough to take a shot at Chelse...

Although less bloated than a few seasons ago, Chelsea's squad is still larger than that of its Premier League rivals.

With every transfer window, any pretext is good enough to take a shot at Chelsea’s management. A bloated squad, the number of players out on loan, overpriced transfers, endless contracts: the Blues become the target of easy jokes. This season again, with the transfer market already halfway through in England, the London club has the largest group. Some 38 players are currently under contract at the side that finished 10th in last season’s Premier League, which should soon officially register the arrival of Kazakhstan’s Dastan Satpaev (17).

Todd Boehly’s club is likely to keep maneuvering until the market closes — September 1 in England — but for now, no one has as many footballers in the English league. Granted, Tottenham are not far behind with 37 players. Still, the average is 29.4 players as of July 22. Within the Big 5, only three teams are more stocked: Napoli, Sassuolo and Venezia (41). Yet Chelsea have trimmed down over the past two years. In the 2024-2025 season, the Blues employed 58 athletes.

More competition among goalkeepers

Right from goalkeeper, the squad sets the tone. Starter Robert Sanchez is joined by Filip Jörgensen, Mike Penders, back from loan at Strasbourg, Gabriel Slonina and Teddy Sharman-Lowe. Backup to the Spanish No. 1 last season, Jörgensen will have to deal with the added competition of Penders, who sharpened up in Alsace at the other club owned by BlueCo.

Inflation among defenders

At the back, every position is at least triple-covered. Reece James, Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong have been joined on the right flank by Marco Palestra, snatched from Atalanta for 57 million euros this summer. In central defense, Aaron Anselmino and Axel Disasi have returned from their loans. They risk being blocked by Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Mamadou Sarr, Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoît Badiashile. At left back, Jorrel Hato has the inside track ahead of Caleb Wiley and Denner since the departure of Marc Cucurella.

The depleted midfield

The engine room is the least well-equipped sector. Chelsea have an impressive double pivot made up of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Beyond that duo, Xabi Alonso is not overflowing with options. Roméo Lavia and Dario Essugo were rarely used last season and Andrey Santos was lured to Manchester United for 56.3 M€.

Fernandez can also play a notch higher, but the playmaker role was more often assigned to Cole Palmer. Left out for the 2026 World Cup, the former City player has seen the arrival of his compatriot Morgan Rogers, very much present in North America. The Londoners bet 137.3 M€ on the former Aston Villa man, the 5th most expensive player in history.

Imbalances among attackers

Up front, the traffic jam raises questions about the construction and balance of the Blues’ squad. On the right wing, Estevao and Pedro Neto have a new teammate: Portuguese prodigy Geovany Quenda (19), taken from Sporting for 50 M€. The left side is less crowded. Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens are battling for the spot, while Mykhaïlo Moudrik is still suspended for doping.

Finally, the real worksite is at center forward. With the loans of Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich and David Datro Fofana having expired, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Emmanuel Emegha and Marc Guiu will battle for the striker’s role. All of it while Chelsea will be without European competition in 2026-2027 and the club will be able to register only 25 players in the Premier League.