The biggest Champions League omissions as squad lists announced

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The Football Faithful

·4 September 2025

The biggest Champions League omissions as squad lists announced

The Champions League squad lists have been announced by this season’s participating teams, and there have been some major omissions.

UEFA requires each club to name no more than 25 players on their A List, with restrictions placed on who can be included. The sporting body’s regulations dictate that eight places are reserved exclusively for “locally trained players”, otherwise known as “homegrown”, and no club may have more than four “association-trained players”.

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These footballers, regardless of their age or their nationality, have been registered with their current club or another club from the same country’s association for three years between the ages of 15 and 21. A locally trained player can be club-trained or association-trained.

Clubs can register an unlimited amount of players on List B, so long as they were born on or before 1 January, 2004 and have been eligible to play for that club for a period of two uninterrupted years or three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year.

This is an important point as managers need to carefully consider who they can include in their Champions League squad for the campaign, leading to tough decisions.

The biggest Champions League omissions as squad lists announced

Federico Chiesa – Liverpool

The Liverpool cult hero was axed from the squad list by Arne Slot after the club brought in a number of highly talented attackers in the summer transfer window. The fact that Federico Chiesa is not a homegrown player ultimately cost him his place, with Rio Ngumoha included instead.

The 16-year-old is classified as an association-trained player, as he only joined Liverpool from Chelsea last year. That means he takes up a spot on List A, rather than List B.

Read – Why Marc Guehi transfer to Liverpool collapsed on Deadline Day

Romelu Lukaku – Napoli

Napoli were dealt a major blow just days out from the start of the new Serie A season when Romelu Lukaku sustained a serious injury. The Belgium international is facing around three months on the treatment table after suffering a torn quad muscle.

The reigning Scudetto champions signed Rasmus Hojlund on loan from Manchester United to fill the void left by the club’s top goal scorer from last season.

Read – Every Premier League club’s net spend in the summer transfer window

Yves Bissouma – Spurs

Recent reports claim that Yves Bissouma is on the chopping block at Spurs, who are looking to offload the troublesome midfielder. Deadline Day may have come and gone in the UK, but the transfer window is still open in Turkey, Portugal, Greece and Saudi Arabia.

Mathys Tel was also left out of Thomas Frank’s Champions League squad list following the signing of Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG. Meanwhile, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin all miseed out due to injury.

Read – The biggest spending Premier League clubs in summer 2025

Gabriel Jesus – Arsenal

The perma-crocked Gabriel Jesus will not be appearing the league phase this season as he recovers from a serious injury. The Arsenal forward has been sidelined for almost eight months after undergoing surgery on his ACL. Mikel Arteta’s decision to omit him perhaps suggests that he is still a way’s off a return to action.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Maz Dowman could make his Champions League debut this year following his inclusion and could become the youngest player in the competition’s history.

Read – The late Premier League transfers confirmed after Deadline Day

Facundo Buonanotte – Chelsea

Given Chelsea’s bloated squad, it comes as a surprise to no one that several big names have been left out of Enzo Maresca’s squad. Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi didn’t make the cut after failing to get moves away in the summer, while Mykhailo Mudryk is not available for selection after being charged with doping offences. That case is yet to be resolved.

The most surprising omission, though, has to be Facundo Buonanotte, who just joined the Blues on loan from Brighton. Granted, it would be difficult to see him getting many starts in the Champions League given the competition for places in the wide areas. But then why did they sign him at all?

Read – Chelsea star Joao Pedro reveals Golden Boot ambition and Ballon d’Or ‘dream’

Arkadiusz Milik – Juventus

Six years on from ripping up Serie A with Napoli, Arkadiusz Milik’s career has fallen off a cliff. The Polish striker scored just four league goals last season for Juventus, who are hoping to sell him to a club in Turkey while their transfer window is still open. Oddly, Juve only handed Milik a new contract in April.

Read – The Premier League deals that collapsed on Transfer Deadline Day

Neal Maupay – Marseille

Having only completed a permanent move to Marseille over the summer, Neal Maupay has already fallen out of favour with manager Roberto De Zerbi. The French forward is not a part of the former Brighton boss’s plans this season, which is why he will not be featuring in the Champions League.

Senior players Amine Harit, Pol Lirola, Rubén Blanco, Ulisses Garcia have also been omitted.