Liam Rosenior’s Immediate Plan for Chelsea ‘Bomb Squad’ Duo Revealed

Enzo Maresca took drastic action when he was in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Liam Rosenior will have to deal with some tough decisions this January transfer window. | Ross Parker/SNS Group/Getty Images

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has confirmed he will have conversations with the previously exiled duo of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi over their Stamford Bridge futures.

Deemed to be persona non grata by former manager Enzo Maresca, the experienced pair have not featured for Chelsea at all this season and have been training on their own and at different times than the rest of their teammates, allowing the Italian to work with a smaller group of players.

Maresca made a sudden exit from Chelsea as the calendar flipped over to 2026, allowing Rosenior, who was in charge of fellow Blue-Co owned RC Strasbourg in Ligue 1, the opportunity to manage in the Premier League for the first time.

Rosenior emerged victorious in his first game in charge, beating Charlton Athletic 5–1 in the FA Cup third round, but it’s not just on-field results that the 41-year-old is responsible for. He must also balance the minutes of his players, who will contest a two-legged Carabao Cup semifinal with Arsenal and have two Champions League league phase games remaining.

“I will have conversations with them. We're in January, as you know,” Rosenior told the media of potential reintegration for Sterling and Disasi. “Raheem's had an outstanding career. I've got huge respect for him. Axel is someone I've really, really liked as a player for a long time.

“Honestly, I have to have a conversation with them. I have to have a conversation with the club. I'm being genuinely honest. I literally have got to work through a list of priorities. I will do in the next few days.”

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January Exits Could Prove Difficult

Disasi is expected to leave Chelsea—but to where remains a mystery. | Harry Murphy - Danehouse/Getty Images

With the winter transfer window open until the end of the month, one option for Chelsea is to try and offload Sterling and Disasi from the wage bill—but they’ve already experienced issues trying to sell the pair.

Sterling, who is thought to earn £325,000-per-week in wages, had an unsuccessful loan at Arsenal last season, scoring just once in 28 appearances in all competitions, which meant the current Premier League leaders did not activate their buy option. As for Disasi, who cost Chelsea £38.5 million when he joined from AS Monaco ahead of the 2023–24 season, he spent time on loan at Aston Villa during 2024–25 but a permanent deal was not forthcoming.

With no professional game involvement in over seven months, added to high wages and a decreasing market value, there appears to be few options available to the pair. Napoli have been tentatively linked to Sterling, as have Premier League duo Fulham and West Ham United, and Disasi has been touted as a target for Roma and Lyon. No offers have been made.

With the Premier League’s current Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) soon to be replaced Squad Cost Ratio (SCR), Chelsea’s future costs must not exceed 70% of their income—meaning they must find new homes for unwanted players before they can continue investing.

FIFA’s rules also stipulate that only six players can be loaned overseas at one time—a quota Chelsea have already filled with Nicolas Jackson (Bayern Munich), Aaron Anselmino (Borussia Dortmund), David Datro Fofana (Karagürük) and the trio of Mamadou Sarr, Kendry Páez and Mike Penders (Strasbourg) heading out of west London.

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Chelsea’s Outgoings Transfers in 2025–26

To date, 23 players have left Chelsea on a temporary or permanent basis during 2025–26.

Player	Destination	Permanent / Loan
Noni Madueke	Arsenal	Permanent
Christopher Nkunku	AC Milan	Permanent
Joao Félix	Al-Nassr	Permanent
Djordje Petrovic	AFC Bournemouth	Permanent
Lesley Ugochukwu	Burnley	Permanent
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall	Everton	Permanent
Renato Veiga	Villarreal	Permanent
Armando Broja	Burnley	Permanent
Carney Chukwuemeka	Borussia Dortmund	Permanent
Mathis Amougou	RC Strasbourg	Permanent
Bashir Humphreys	Burnley	Permanent
Kepa Arrizabalaga	Arsenal	Permanent
Marcus Bettinelli	Manchester City	Permanent
Alfie Gilchrist	West Bromwich Albion	Permanent
Ben Chilwell	RC Strasbourg	Free
Lucas Bergström	RCD Mallorca	Free
Nicolas Jackson	Bayern Munich	Loan
Mamadou Sarr	RC Strasbourg	Loan
Mike Penders	RC Strasbourg	Loan
Kendry Páez	RC Strasbourg	Loan
Aaron Anselmino	Borussia Dortmund	Loan
Marc Guiu	Sunderland	Loan (Now back at Chelsea)
David Datro Fofana	Karagürük	Loan