Chelsea have confirmed their Premier League squad for the 2018/19 season – and there’s an eyebrow-raising inclusion in Maurizio Sarri’s 25.
As listed by the Premier League on their official website, our squad is as follows…
Alonso, Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Caballero, David Luiz, Emerson, Giroud, Hazard, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Morata, Pedro, Rudiger, Willian, Zappacosta. (non-home grown)
Barkley, Cahill, Christensen, Drinkwater, Fabregas, Green, Moses, Loftus-Cheek, Piazon. (home grown)
Ampadu, Hudson-Odoi, Bulka. (under-21)
Lucas Piazon, who was widely expected to leave Chelsea over the summer, has been included in our squad for the coming season.
The Brazilian can operate as a centre-forward, so may well have been kept as cover following the departure of Tammy Abraham.
It’s by no means his most comfortable position, however, and we have senior players who have also been fielded there in recent seasons (Eden Hazard, Pedro, etc.)
Could Piazon’s inclusion be a reflection of Sarri’s faith in the 24-year-old? Perhaps.
Piazon will have had no shortage of offers to leave on loan in the summer. The fact that he remained a Chelsea player, when many others were ushered out the exit door, speaks volumes.