One of the issues with stockpiling as many talented players as possible is that, inevitably, some will become unhappy with their lack of playing time.
They may become disgruntled to the point of making it very difficult for their club – in this case Chelsea – to get them off the wage bill.
It’s a situation manifesting itself at Stamford Bridge now as Raheem Sterling, on a contract worth a cool £325,000 per week – making him Chelsea’s highest earner, has been banished to train on his own.
Sterling has been joined in Chelsea’s ‘Bomb Squad’ by Axel Disasi, whose position in the pecking order at the Blues is so stark that he has been turning out for the club’s Under-21s as an overage player.
The issue is that Sterling and Disasi are contracted to Chelsea until 2027 and 2029 respectively; a legacy of mammoth deals being handed to new players in recent years.
So, there’s no incentive for them to leave – neither will want to take a pay cut or move to a club that they consider to be unattractive.
A Mexican stand-off has ensued… although it’s nothing compared to the situation of Chelsea’s all-time worst contract rebel in Winston Bogarde.
Not a Sterling Effort
Sterling hasn’t played for Chelsea since the 2023/24 season.
An unsuccessful loan move to Arsenal in 2024/25 did not materialise the permanent deal that both the player and Chelsea hoped for, so now the 31-year-old – hardly ready for football’s retirement home – finds himself in a Bogarde-esque situation.
The PFA have contacted Chelsea regarding the treatment of Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling.
The pair have been training away from the first team squad and are said to no longer have a future at the club. pic.twitter.com/5DaHBt8dXD
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 18, 2025
Not part of Enzo Maresco’s plans, but still picking up £325,000 a week, the fiasco is nothing short of catastrophic.
Sterling will only play for a London club. He is settled with his family in the capital and his young son is in Arsenal’s academy, so there is little incentive for him to move to pastures new.
Viable destinations such as Tottenham and West Ham can’t get near to his current salary, and even the prospect of a loan deal wouldn’t appeal given that Sterling hasn’t played a single minute of competitive football in 2025/26 thus far – rendering him completely shy of match fitness.
It’s a scenario that reflects poorly on both the player and Chelsea. Even if the Blues were to pay off his contract and get rid, it would cost them in the region of £20 million when you consider wages, add ons and bonuses that Sterling would otherwise miss out on.
Let’s be honest: it would be foolish for Sterling to leave Chelsea when he’s earning such money. But his lengthy deal and those handed to the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk are examples that when the club’s amortisation strategy of eye-wateringly long contracts goes wrong, it can have catastrophic consequences.
Axel Grind
Axel Disasi is contracted to Chelsea until the end of the 2028/29 season.
In theory, that shouldn’t be a problem – the 27-year-old is a classy operator that the Blues signed for £38 million in 2023, having watched him play for France at the World Cup in 2022.
But, for whatever reason, the move hasn’t worked out. So, in the space of three years, Disasi has gone from playing in the World Cup final to lining up for Chelsea’s Under-21s.
It’s thought that Disasi is keener on a move away from Stamford Bridge than Sterling is, hence his appearances for the youth team in a bid to improve his fitness levels.
He has previously rejected switches to West Ham and Bournemouth, suggesting that former club Monaco is his destination of choice – whether that remains the case, given that Monaco are languishing in mid-table in Ligue 1 – remains to be seen.
But, if a move does materialise, at least Chelsea will have halved the membership of their Bomb Squad to just Sterling.
Winston Bogarde: The Chelsea Bomb Squad Founder
Sterling and Disasi have nothing on Winston Bogarde, the founding father of Chelsea’s Bomb Squad.
He arrived in London in the year 2000 with a stellar reputation as a former Champions League winner and international defender of some repute.
Bogarde was unlucky, in a sense, that Gianluca Vialli – who signed him on a four-year deal worth £40,000 a week – was sacked just one week after welcoming the Dutchman to the Blues.
Vialli’s successor, Claudio Ranieri, evidently wasn’t a fan and quickly ditched Bogarde from his first team plans.
Some players would get the hint and move on, but not Bogarde – he wasn’t going to get mad, he was going to get even.
Still aged only 30, Bogarde wouldn’t budge. Other clubs didn’t want him; his wages were high, for the time, and he was completely unfit having barely played a minute of football.
He was sent to the inauguration of the Chelsea Bomb Squad, staying for four years – picking up £40,000 a week – and playing just 12 games.
“This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them,” Bogarde said.
“Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do.
“I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership… but I don’t care.”