Didier Drogba's possible return to Chelsea creates more uncertainty over Romelu Lukaku's future and raises questions about ability meet home-grown quotas
Uncertain future: Romelu Lukaku has no clue where he will be playing his club football next season
Chelsea's bid to re-sign Didier Drogba underlines doubts over the club’s ability to meet the home-grown player quotas for the Premier League and Europe.
The Premier League have confirmed that Romelu Lukaku qualifies as a home-grown player this season, but the return of 36-year-old Drogba would increase the uncertainty over his position.
Chelsea appear to have put Lukaku’s future on hold until he returns for pre-season training in Holland on July 30, with Everton ready to make a bid to take him to Goodison Park permanently.
Juventus and Wolfsburg are also interested and Chelsea may be open to loaning Lukaku abroad now he has spent long enough in England to count as a home-grown player.
Chelsea are already planning to top up their first-team squad with under-21 players and the departure of Lukaku could eventually leave them four men short of filling the home-grown places to name a full 25-man squad.
“We don't want a squad of only ended products,” said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. “We also want to bring to the first team, three or four under-21s. We are going to develop players and are happy with this balance we have.”
Chelsea were only able to name 22-man squads in the Premier League and Champions League at the start of last season because of their lack of players who qualified as home-grown in each competition.
In the Premier League, clubs must name eight players who have been at an English or Welsh club for three years between the ages of 16 and 21 in their 25-man squad.
Two of Chelsea’s home-grown players, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard, have left the club this summer and more could follow, although new signing Cesc Fabregas qualifies as home-grown after joining Arsenal as a 16-year-old.
Ryan Bertrand is expected to be sold, while Josh McEachran will most probably be loaned out and the future of Victor Moses is uncertain.
Chelsea’s first-team squad for the coming season that is listed on the club’s website could currently fulfil the Premier League requirement, but the departures of Lukaku, Bertrand, McEachran and Moses would see them fall short.
Having turned 21 in May, Lukaku qualifies as a home-grown player after spending three seasons in England – two on loan at West Bromwich Albion and Everton.
Fourth-choice goalkeeper Jamal Blackman and defenders Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake are aged under 21, while teenagers Nathaniel Chalobah, Andreas Christensen, Lewis Baker and Isaiah Brown have already played in pre-season.
In the Champions League, there is a minimum requirement of four players trained at the club for three years between 16 and 21 and four players trained in the club’s association for three years between 16 and 21.
Chelsea already fall short of the club quota, with only Terry, McEachran and Ake training for three years at the club between the ages of 16 and 21. Several loan spells away from Stamford Bridge mean that Bertrand falls into the association quota, with Cahill, Fabregas, Moses and Lukaku.
Of Chelsea’s English rivals, Manchester City also face difficulties to fill the home-grown player spots. City are restricted to a 21-man Champions League squad under the terms of their Financial Fair Play punishment, but only have to name five-home-grown players.
