Wesley Fofana’s exclusion from Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League squad for their upcoming match against Servette is due to injury concerns, not transfer speculation, as clarified by manager Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea is set to host the Swiss side on Thursday in the first leg of their play-off, with a spot in the group stage at stake.

However, the announcement of the squad list raised eyebrows with the absence of several key players, including Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Wesley Fofana.

Sterling and Chilwell were omitted as Chelsea continues to explore transfer options for the two England internationals, with Maresca revealing, Sterling and Chilwell have been kicked out from first-team training. Meanwhile, Adarabioyo was initially left off the squad due to an administrative error but has since been added back.

Fofana’s absence, however, has sparked significant discussion, especially since the French defender started in Chelsea’s Premier League opener last Sunday—a 2-0 loss to Manchester City.

Despite the speculation, Maresca assured fans that Fofana remains central to his plans but will sit out the Servette clash as a precautionary measure.

“Wes Fofana is out because he played the other day, so he can’t play on Thursday,” Maresca explained during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “Some decisions are made to take care of the players.”