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Why Chelsea can only register 3 January signings for the Champions League

The January transfer window has been a record-breaking one for Chelsea, who have recruited no fewer than eight new players.

The Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership felt the need to continue their heavy spending this winter to try and salvage something from the chaos that has been the 2022/23 campaign. Their new faces can all feature in the Premier League, but UEFA rules mean some of them will have no choice but to miss out on this season’s Champions League squad.

So, what’s the rules when it comes to Champions League registration?

*loaned back to Lyon for remainder of the season

Every team competing in UEFA competition must submit a squad of no more than 25 players to feature for them during the season on an A List. Eight of those players must have been trained in the country of their current club – England, for Chelsea – and four must be specifically trained by the club in question – Chelsea, for Chelsea.

After the January transfer window, clubs are given the chance to re-submit their squads, but with one catch: only three replacements can be added to the squad.

In the past, players who had played in one UEFA competition could not play for a new club in the same competition, but that rule has since been removed.

As well as the A List, clubs are also invited to submit a B List full of younger players – those born after January 1, 2001. Aside from Felix, each of Chelsea’s new signings were born after that date.

The catch here, however, is that players on the B List must have been at the club for an uninterrupted period of two years after their 15th birthday, or three consecutive years if one of those years included a loan inside the same association.

This B List can be unlimited in size and is free to be changed up until midnight the day before any UEFA game.

Regardless of the ages of Chelsea’s new signings, the fact that they have not been at Chelsea for an uninterrupted period of two years means they cannot be included on the B List and would have to be added to the A List instead.

With UEFA rules limiting them to just three changes midway through the season, it means Graham Potter will have to make a decision on which players will make the cut and which will miss out.

Mudryk, Felix and Fernandez may be the most likely inclusions purely based on finances, but the final decision rests with Potter.

Daniel Childs reacts to latest Chelsea news on January transfer deadline day as we wait to see if Enzo Fernandez will sign from Benfica, Arsenal show interest in Jorginho and Hakim Ziyech in talks with PSG for a loan. If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

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