Explained: Why Armando Broja is absent from Chelsea’s pre-season squad

Armando Broja
Photo: Robin Jones/Getty Images

The Chelsea team have flown to Los Angeles where Thomas Tuchel and his players will begin a week-long training camp.

Chelsea will play Club America in Las Vegas next Saturday, before playing another pre-season game against Charlotte in the Bank of America Stadium and then end the tour with a London derby against Arsenal in Orlando on July 23.

Chelsea have confirmed their squad for the tour of US, and some big names have been excluded.

See the squad below

Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Edouard Mendy, Teddy Sharman-Lowe

Defenders: Marcos Alonso, Ethan Ampadu, Cesar Azpilicueta, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Reece James, Kenedy, Emerson Palmieri, Malang Sarr, Thiago Silva

Midfielders: Ross Barkley, Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Harvey Vale

Forwards: Tino Anjorin, Michy Batshuayi, Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech

N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have been excluded from the squad.

Current regulations in the US stipulate that anyone wanting to enter the country must have taken the Covid-19 vaccination.

Loftus-Cheek and Kante are yet to take the vaccination, and will remain at Cobham while the rest of the team battle it out in the US.

“N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will not travel due to their Covid vaccination status,” Chelsea confirmed in a statement after announcing the 29-man squad that will tour US.

Chelsea striker Armando Broja is also missing from the squad.

Some reports have claimed earlier in the week that Broja will be absent from the pre-season squad as he’s seeking clarification on his future.

However, the club has confirmed that Broja will join the squad in the US a week later.

“Armando Broja will look to join up with the squad next week,” The club said via its website.

According to reports, Chelsea are yet to make a decision on Broja’s future at the club, as well as some other players returning from loan.

Broja and Levi Colwill, had impressed on loan last season, and they both have a promising future ahead of them.

Speaking on Broja last season, Tuchel discussed the importance of his loan players as he said: “They are our players and I want to have them in pre-season and then we decide what’s going on.

“It’s heavily linked to them, to how they integrate and what they do and what our ideas are for them and what they want to reach.”