As Euro 2024 edges closer, the buzz among us at BetFootball.com and fans across the globe is off the charts! We’re all itching to see the clash of nations unfold on European football’s biggest stage. Who wouldn’t love to witness the Lions roaring their way back into contention, maybe even snatching the trophy? Yep, dreaming big is kind of our thing here at BetFootball.com. So naturally, we’ve been musing over who’ll make the cut for the various squad at the tournament. Exciting stuff, isn’t it?
Chelsea FC: Billion-Pound Bottle Jobs?
Being the football fanatics that we are here at Betfootball HQ we delved into the possible squads and a startling revelation has emerged: Chelsea will be sending a mere four players to represent them at the tournament. Sheesh. Not what you’d be expecting, right? Surprisingly, this number falls short even when compared to lower-tier clubs like Bournemouth and Fulham. Yes, you read that right, four.
Despite owner Todd Boehly’s extravagant spending spree, with over £1 billion splurged on assembling the current Chelsea squad, the West London giants find themselves poorly represented in Germany this June. The disparity is glaring, especially considering the financial muscle behind the club. So are Chelsea really “billion-pound bottle jobs“? Let’s investigate further.
Chelsea’s Euro 2024 Players:
So who are the four players making the cut for the Blues? Conor Gallagher, with 11 caps for England, stands out as a midfield option for Gareth Southgate. His compatriot Ben Chilwell, aiming for a return to the national squad amidst left-back shortages, adds to England’s representation. Additionally, Cole Palmer, a beacon of hope in Chelsea’s lacklustre season, is poised to make his tournament debut for England. Lastly, goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is set to don Serbia’s colours for Euro 2024.
Our research sheds light on Chelsea’s predicament despite their lavish spending. Currently sitting in 11th place in the Premier League and likely to miss out on European qualification, speculation lingers over the future of under-fire boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The term “billion-pound bottle jobs,” coined by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville during their Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool, seems to resonate with the current state of affairs at Stamford Bridge.
In a surprising twist, Chelsea find themselves eclipsed by neighbours Fulham, who are set to send five players to the Euros. Bernd Leno, Saša Lukić, Timothy Castagne, João Palhinha, and Marek Rodák will fly the Fulham flag.
Yet, Chelsea aren’t alone in their plight. Fourteenth-placed Bournemouth also boast five representatives, Philip Billing, Ryan Christie, Andrei Radu, Enes Ünal, and Milos Kerkez, reflecting the depth of talent scattered across the Premier League.
As the tournament draws closer, attention turns to other Premier League powerhouses. Manchester City lead the pack with an impressive 14 players set to feature, followed closely by Arsenal and Manchester United with eight each. Liverpool and Tottenham are not far behind, with six players each making the cut.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Chelsea faithful remain hopeful that their quartet of representatives will make a mark on the international stage. With Euro 2024 promising thrills, drama, and moments of brilliance, all eyes will be on Germany this summer.
What do the Fans Think?
We spoke to our favourite people, YOU fans to see what your thoughts are. Lifelong Chelsea supporter Conor Gallagher (no relation to Chelsea player, Conor Gallagher..honest.) shared his thoughts:
“The reality is that over the last few seasons we have had a lot of trouble off the pitch. First of all we had a transfer ban in 2019/2020 followed a year or so later by a year of sanctions due to Roman Abramovich’s ownership. As a result of our inability to buy or sell players we ended up with a squad full of ageing players and other very good players who wanted to leave to have greater job security and whose departure was beneficial for Chelsea from an FFP point of view.
Since Todd Boehly bought the club those players were let go and replaced with a lot of very young players in the hope that over a 2-3 year period they would mature into a talented, winning squad. As well as being very young, many of these players are from Latin America and Africa so would not be eligible for the Euros anyway.
Some progress is being made this season but not at the speed many fans want. Hopefully by the time the World Cup comes around in 2026 there will be a lot more than four European internationals in the squad”
How do they compare to others teams:
We crunched the numbers as you know we love a bit of data and the results speak for themselves. Manchester City charge ahead with a whopping 14 players jetting off to play in the tournament, twice as many as ol’ Chelsea. Manchester City’s rivals Manchester United and Arsenal both come second by sending eight players each.
Who do we expect to go to Euro 2024?
- Manchester City: 14. Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium; Mateo Kovacic, Croatia; Bernardo Silva, Portugal; Kyle Walker, England; John Stones, England; Manuel Akanji, Switzerland; Rúben Dias, Portugal; Rodri, Spain; Nathan Aké, Netherlands; Jack Grealish, England; Phil Foden, England; Josko Gvardiol, Croatia; Jérémy Doku, Belgium; Matheus Nunes, Portugal.
- Arsenal: 8. Jorginho, Italy; Declan Rice, England; Kai Havertz, Germany; Bukayo Saka, England; Leandro Trossard, Belgium; William Saliba, France; David Raya, Spain; Aaron Ramsdale, England.
- Manchester United: 8. Bruno Fernandes, Portugal; Harry Maguire, England; Marcus Rashford, England; Scott McTominay, Scotland; Luke Shaw, England; Diogo Dalot, Portugal; Rasmus Højlund, Denmark; Altay Bayindir, Turkey.
- Liverpool: 6. Virgil van Dijk, Netherlands; Andrew Robertson, Scotland; Dominik Szoboszlai, Hungary; Trent Alexander-Arnold, England; Cody Gakpo, Netherlands; Ibrahima Konaté, France.
- Tottenham: 6. James Maddison, England; Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Denmark; Timo Werner, Germany; Radu Drăgușin, Romania; Micky van de Ven, Netherlands; Guglielmo Vicario, Italy.
- Bournemouth: 5. Ryan Christie, Scotland; Enes Ünal, Turkey; Milos Kerkez, Hungary; Philip Billing, Denmark; Andrei Radu, Romania.
- Fulham: 5. Saša Lukić, Serbia; Timothy Castagne, Belgium; João Palhinha, Portugal; Marek Rodák, Slovakia; Bernd Leno, Germany.
- Aston Villa: 4. Youri Tielemans, Belgium; John McGinn, Scotland; Pau Torres, Spain; Ollie Watkins, England.
- Chelsea: 4. Ben Chilwell, England; Conor Gallagher, England; Cole Palmer, England; Djordje Petrovic, Serbia.
- Brentford: 3. Mathias Jensen, Denmark; Thomas Strakosha, Albania; Mark Flekken, Netherlands.
- Brighton: 3. Billy Gilmour, Scotland; Bart Verbruggen, Netherlands; Pascal Groß, Germany.
- West Ham: 3. Tomas Soucek, Czech Republic; Vladimir Coufal, Czech Republic, Jarrod Bowen, England.
- Wolves: 3. Nélson Semedo, Portugal; Pedro Neto, Portugal; José Sá, Portugal.
- Newcastle: 3. Fabian Schär, Switzerland; Martin Dúbravka, Slovakia, Sven Botman, Netherlands.
- Luton Town: 2. Jacob Brown, Scotland; Thomas Kaminski, Belgium.
- Everton: 2. Jordan Pickford, England; Nathan Patterson, Scotland.
- Sheffield United: 1. Ivo Grbic, Croatia.
- Nottingham Forest: 1. Matz Sels, Belgium.
- Crystal Palace: 1. Joachim Andersen, Denmark.
- Burnley: 1. Zeki Amdouni, Switzerland.
In conclusion
In the end, football is a game of unpredictability, where the underdogs often defy expectations. We’ve certainly seen some magnificent team comebacks here at BetFootball, as well as some unexpected falls from grace in our time – and football is a game of two halves, innit? Whether Chelsea can rise above their ‘billion-pound bottlejob’ reputation remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the beautiful game never fails to surprise.
So what are your thoughts on Chelsea’s current situation? We’re sure you’re gonna let us know either in the comments below or on our social channels, but play nice, eh?
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