CHELSEA are paying their 13-man ‘bomb squad’ a staggering £1.25MILLION per week.
New Blues boss Enzo Maresca has ruthlessly axed the group because they are not part of his plans in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
That means there is more than £250million worth of signings currently training away from the first-team squad under the watchful eye of ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.
And the unlucky 13 are being paid a whopping amount despite being nowhere near the first team.
SunSport has crunched the numbers according to Spotrac’s wages to work out just how much Todd Boehly and Co are splashing out on the likes of Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling.
So, from lowest earners to the highest…
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Lucas Bergstrom – £3,000 per week
The 21-year-old Finnish goalkeeper joined the academy in 2018 but has made just three Under-21 appearances and none for the first team.
He is behind four goalkeepers at Chelsea and Maresca has decided he does not need Bergstrom in his training sessions as well – making him the lowest-paid member of the bomb squad.
Alex Matos – £5,500
Matos signed for Chelsea a year ago and made his debut last October against Fulham in the Premier League on the day before his 19th birthday.
But he will not be adding to that solo Prem appearance anytime soon and will hope to secure a loan exit before deadline day.
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Angelo Gabriel – £25,000
The whole host of wingers in Chelsea’s bloated squad means there is no space for Angelo Gabriel.
The Brazilian teenager earns a reported £25,000 per week – and few clubs wanting to take him on loan will cover those wages.
Harvey Vale – £26,000
Harvey Vale is certainly versatile – but the problem at Chelsea is there is no lack of strength in depth.
His £26,000-a-week is not reaping much reward on the Blues’ investment.
Tino Anjorin – £27,000
Anjorin earns a similar amount to train with the Maresca outcasts at Cobham.
A return to Portsmouth on loan could be on the cards after helping Pompey to promotion last season.
David Datro Fofana – £30,000
Fofana’s hopes of being the first-choice No9 Ivory Coast will take a big hit if he is not getting regular first-team action.
But he is not close to getting that at Chelsea as he finds himself way down the pecking order.
Deivid Washington – £40,000
Chelsea are paying Washington £40,000 a week to train in the bomb squad.
Like Angelo, this will not be what the Brazilian youngster had in mind when he made his big move to London – and hopes it does not set the trend for the remaining six years of his deal.
Armando Broja – £40,000
Like Fofana, Broja is behind the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and now Joao Felix as the players who can play up front for Chelsea this season.
He had a dismal loan spell at Fulham and is likely to exit Stamford Bridge before the transfer window deadline.
Trevoh Chalobah – £50,000
Chalobah’s Chelsea career looks to be over with another manager not fancying the defender.
And his £50,000-a-week salary will mean the Blues are keen to get him off the wage bill with Aston Villa, Newcastle and Crystal Palace all interested.
Chelsea ratings vs Servette
CHELSEA sealed their first win under new manager Enzo Maresca as they beat Swiss minnows Servette.
Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke got the second-half goals to give the Blues a commanding lead in their Uefa Conference League play-off double header.
But it was far from convincing with Chelsea BOOED OFF at half-time.
Here’s how SunSport’s Jack Rosser rated the Blues stars…
Filip Jorgensen – 7
Made some very smart saves – especially late on as the visitors caused problems and came close to finding a goal to get back in.
Axel Disasi – 6
Kept things quiet down Chelsea’s right hand side having been started out of position at right-back. The Frenchman did not offer much going forwards but was more than solid enough defensively.
Tosin Adarabioyo – 6
An assured first start for the club since joining from Fulham on a free transfer. The defender was not caused any real problems and dominated in the air – a big reason Chelsea decided to snap him up.
Benoit Badiashile – 6
Solid enough defensively but looked awkward on the ball at times, especially when Chelsea were trying to pick a way through a solid midfield.
Renato Veiga – 5
Was given the task of moving inside from left-back and looked to struggle a lot at points, losing the ball cheaply on half way at one stage.
Moises Caicedo – 5
The midfielder was sent out in the holding role and hardly helped defensively by having Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Nkunku, a striker, ahead of him. Struggled to get a grip of midfield and dictate the game.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 7
A very encouraging full debut for the summer signing – neat and positive on the ball and created some good chances for those ahead of him.
Pedro Neto – 6
A first start for his new club and the winger made some very encouraging runs down the right hand side. Will take time to settle but looks a very good option.
Christopher Nkunku – 6
Rather fortunate to win the penalty as it looked a touch harsh but stepped up and converted well.
Mykhailo Mudryk – 4
The definition of all bark, no bite. The Ukrainian winger has pace to burn and a huge bag of tricks but neither help him make any significant impact on games.
Continuing to play like that and Raheem Sterling might have a future here after all.
Marc Guiu – 6
Missed an absolute sitter to score his first goal for Chelsea.
After working so hard through the first half, Guiu turned a tap in into a howler when putting what should have been an easy finish straight at the scrambling Servette keeper.
Kepa Arrizabalaga – £150,000
The first of the four ‘big hitters’ in terms of wages is the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.
After returning from winning the Champions League on loan at Real Madrid, Kepa is now battling with Bergstrom to be the first-choice bomb squad goalkeeper – and earning £150,000 per week.
Ben Chilwell – £200,000
Maresca described Chilwell as a “lovely guy” but is clearly not a fan of him as a footballer, immediately booting him out of the squad and openly admitting he will “struggle” to get any minutes.
It is a big call to make for the left-back who arrived for £50m and was made vice-captain by previous boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Raheem Sterling – £325,000
Sterling played in all six of Chelsea’s pre-season games before Maresca dropped the bombshell of his exclusion on the eve of the new Premier League season – then saw his No7 shirt ripped away and given to Pedro Neto.
Nobody earns more than the reported £325,000 a week the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City winger is on – and will need to take a major pay cut if he secures a Premier League transfer.
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Romelu Lukaku – £325,000
Quite simply, Lukaku’s return to Stamford Bridge has been a disaster.
He is the joint top earner alongside Sterling but just like the winger, he is not getting a look in under Maresca – and must be wondering where it all went wrong.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
