Chelsea have set up a new three-man bomb squad fronted by £325,000-a-week Raheem Sterling following the closure of the transfer window.

The Blues continue to change players frequently under BlueCo’s management, welcoming 10 new additions during the summer window, while over 20 left through permanent, loan, or free transfers.

This approach to business has resulted in players being almost indiscriminately placed on the transfer list, often leaving them to train in isolation with no hope of joining the first team.

For some, though, that wasn’t the case – including for former England and Manchester City favourite Sterling.

Since joining the Blues for £50 million in 2022, as one of BlueCo’s initial signings, he has struggled in London, and his difficulties are expected to persist, with the 30-year-old now leading the three-man exclusion group.

Raheem Sterling front’s Chelsea’s new three-man bomb squad following the closure of the transfer window

Enzo Maresca has decided what players are not in his plans and they train separately from the first team with limited access to facilities

Also part of this group are center back Axel Disasi and forward David Datro Fofana. None of the three players have recently played for Chelsea, and that situation remains unchanged.

For Sterling, this signifies another step in his decline from being one of England’s top players at Euro 2020 to his current position. Reports indicate he is hesitant to move his family and appears, according to the BBC, reluctant to provide Chelsea with a straightforward exit from the agreement.

Upon joining Chelsea, he signed a five-year contract and still has £30 million remaining until it expires in 2027, leaving both the club and the player at an impasse.

Sterling is picking up £325,000-a-week to do next to nothing, but there is no way out of it for the club unless a buyer comes in, which seems unlikely to happen any time soon.

That said, though, various transfer windows are still open worldwide and a move could materialise. That includes Turkey and Saudi Arabia – but reports suggest that is unlikely.

The Turkish window closes on September 12, with the Saudi window closing on the 10th. Those leagues could provide escapes for Disasi and Fofana.

Disasi, who spend a period of last season on loan at Aston Villa, had been linked with the likes of Bournemouth in the summer but a move did not materialise. Thus, he remains stuck at Chelsea.

Fofana, meanwhile, was linked with Charlton, but that move collapsed too.

Chelsea defender Axel Disasi lifted the lid on life inside the club’s infamous ‘bomb squad’

The earliest any of the players will be able to play now appears to be January.

Though Todd Boehly was acting as sporting director at the time of Sterling’s arrival, it is believed that Thomas Tuchel was the main person pushing for the move.

He then featured semi-regularly under the likes of Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino, before Enzo Maresca cut him from him plans when he took over at the start of last season.

Last month, meanwhile, Disasi lifted the lid on life inside the club’s infamous ‘bomb squad’.

He  took to Instagram and posted a string of pre-season snaps, captioning the upload simply: ‘Life.’

One photo offered a rare glimpse inside the so-called ‘bomb squad’ quarters – a small, bare room with wooden benches, two windows and an air-con unit bolted to the wall.

Stripped of any luxury, the space looked more non-league than Premier League, a far cry from the plush surroundings Chelsea’s stars are used to.

Plaques carrying the names of Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and Disasi were fixed above the benches, confirming who the space belonged to.

More noticeable is Alfie Gilchrist, who is pictured looking dejected with his hands in this head in one corner.