Explained: Why Chelsea will not be able to register all of their new signings this January

The Blues’ extravagant spending could have it’s drawbacks

Updated: July 05, 2023 at 8:09 am GMT+1

Chelsea will have to choose between which of their signings they opt to register for the Champions League for the rest of the season, with UEFA rules preventing them from playing all of those added this January.

The west Londoners have been the busiest side so far this January by a long way, splashing out over 150m euros and showing no signs of stopping.

All told so far, the Blues have made five additions already this winter. Young players Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana have arrived from Vasco De Gama and Molde respectively, while they have shelled out to bring Benoit Badiashile in from AS Monaco and hijack Arsenal’s bid for Mykhaylo Mudryk, who was unveiled on Sunday.

Join us in welcoming our new number 15, Mykhailo Mudryk! 👏 pic.twitter.com/QiNPzWPNFY
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 15, 2023

Meanwhile, they have added Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid to further enhance their attack, and reports suggest that they are looking to bring in two more new faces before the end of the transfer window, with Moises Caicedo and a right-back reportedly on the radar.

But, while they remain well inside financial fair play regulations, Chelsea are set to fall foul of Champions League registration ones, which could leave Potter with quite the headache.

As per UEFA rules, only three new signings can be registered mid-season, meaning that even if Fofana and Santos are not registered, two senior and expensive additions will have to watch on from the sidelines with them should Chelsea’s transfer window go to plan.

This will also involve unregistering players to fit the new ones in. Chelsea named a 24 man squad for the group stages and Armando Broja (who has been ruled out for the season) was not a part of that initial list, meaning that yet more difficult decisions are going to have to be taken by Potter.

As it stands, the club have a 30 man squad, and with little sign of any outgoings over halfway through the winter window, keeping all senior players happy could be quite the chore in the second half of the campaign.

Chelsea face Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 in February.

The Premier League is a different, and better story for the Blues, with no restrictions on how many new signings can be registered, though there is still a 25 man squad limit.