Premier League champions Chelsea have decided to leave new centre-back Papy Djilobodji out of their Champions League squad.
The Senegalese centre-back arrived from Ligue One Nantes on transfer deadline day, signing a four-year contract.
The Blues did not have the required eight home-grown players, so could only select a 23-man squad for Europe’s elite competition.
Young attackers Bertrand Traore and Kenedy were preferred to the 26-year-old defender in the squad.
Traore is highly-rated, but he has yet to make his Blues debut, having spent the last few seasons on-loan at Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem. The 19-year-old is a Burkina Faso international and is expected to feature for the Blues this season.
Kenedy joined Chelsea earlier this summer from Fluminense for £5.6million. The 19-year-old has represented Brazil at under-17, 20 and 23 levels. The youngster made his debut as a substitute in the recent 2-1home debut by Crystal Palace.
Anyway back to the Senegalese defender. Djilobodji’s signing was considered something of a last resort, after the Blues failed with multiple bids for Everton centre-back John Stones and PSG defender Marquinhos late in the transfer window.
The exclusion of the defender rather illustrates that he is only considered a back-up player and he has not been signed to be a regular first team player.
Chelsea have been handed what is on paper a comfortable draw, as they were first seeds the Blues have been drawn against Dynamo Kiev, FC Porto and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Group G. Their first Champions League clash is on September 16th.
Should Papy Djilobodji have been included in Chelsea’s Champions League squad?
