Overview

• The Professional Footballers’ Association has opened discussions with Chelsea after Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi were excluded from first‑team activities and made to train separately.
• Enzo Maresca reiterated there is no route back for the duo under his management and defended the club’s approach, saying such arrangements are common across elite football.
• Chelsea say the players have a dedicated coach and access to Cobham facilities to remain fit, with exits most likely revisited when the January window opens.
• FIFA regulations caution that isolating players in certain ways can constitute abusive conduct that may allow contract termination for just cause, a complex and rarely used pathway at this level.
• Sterling, who recently shared an 8:21 p.m. training image from Cobham, has about two years left on a high‑value deal, while Disasi is contracted until 2029 after both failed to secure summer moves.