Chelsea jettison Raheem Sterling in new three-man bomb squad, with £325,000-a-week star 'reluctant to give his club an easy route out'

Chelsea have set up a new three-man bomb squad fronted by £325,000-a-week Raheem Sterling following the closure of the transfer window.

The Blues continue to turn over players at a rapid pace under the stewardship of BlueCo, with 10 new players arriving in the summer window and more than 20 leaving either on permanent, loan or free deals.

That method of doing business has led to players being placed on the transfer list almost at will, and often training alone with no chance of featuring for the first team.

The summer's bomb squad included the likes of Ben Chilwell and Alfie Gilchrist, but most of the players were able to secure moves away in the hunt for regular football at a new club.

For some, though, that wasn't the case - including for former England and Manchester City favourite Sterling.

Since joining the Blues for £50million in 2022 - one of BluesCo's first signings - he has found times tough in London, and that is set to continue, with the 30-year-old now fronting the three-man bomb squad.

Also included in that group is centre back Axel Disasi and front man David Datro Fofana. None of the three players have featured for Chelsea in recent times and that won't change.

For Sterling, though, it marks the latest step of a decline that has seen him fall from being one of England's best players at Euro 2020 to where he lies now. Reports also suggest he is reluctant to relocate his family and seems, according to the BBC, reluctant to give Chelsea an easy route out of the agreement.

When he joined Chelsea, he penned a five-year deal and still has £30million remaining on his contract, which runs until 2027. That leaves the club and player at a crossroads.

Sterling is picking up £325,000-a-week to do next to nothing, but there is no way out of it for the club unless a buyer comes in, which seems unlikely to happen any time soon.

That said, though, various transfer windows are still open worldwide and a move could materialise. That includes Turkey and Saudi Arabia - but reports suggest that is unlikely.

The Turkish window closes on September 12, with the Saudi window closing on the 10th. Those leagues could provide escapes for Disasi and Fofana.

Disasi, who spend a period of last season on loan at Aston Villa, had been linked with the likes of Bournemouth in the summer but a move did not materialise. Thus, he remains stuck at Chelsea.

Fofana, meanwhile, was linked with Charlton, but that move collapsed too.

The earliest any of the players will be able to play now appears to be January.

Though Todd Boehly was acting as sporting director at the time of Sterling's arrival, it is believed that Thomas Tuchel was the main person pushing for the move.

He then featured semi-regularly under the likes of Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino, before Enzo Maresca cut him from him plans when he took over at the start of last season.

Last month, meanwhile, Disasi lifted the lid on life inside the club's infamous 'bomb squad'.

He took to Instagram and posted a string of pre-season snaps, captioning the upload simply: 'Life.'

One photo offered a rare glimpse inside the so-called 'bomb squad' quarters – a small, bare room with wooden benches, two windows and an air-con unit bolted to the wall.

Stripped of any luxury, the space looked more non-league than Premier League, a far cry from the plush surroundings Chelsea's stars are used to.

Plaques carrying the names of Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and Disasi were fixed above the benches, confirming who the space belonged to.

More noticeable is Alfie Gilchrist, who is pictured looking dejected with his hands in this head in one corner.

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