Cardiff City face a significant hurdle in their quest for a historic Carabao Cup semi-final place after Chelsea blocked one of their key players from featuring in Tuesday night's quarter-final clash.
Chelsea Enforce Parent Club Clause
The League One side, the only non-Premier League team left in the competition, will host Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea at the Cardiff City Stadium. However, they must attempt to cause a major upset without the services of attacking midfielder Omari Kellyman.
Unlike regulations in the Premier League and FA Cup, the Carabao Cup does allow loaned players to face their parent clubs. Despite this, Chelsea have chosen to deny Cardiff the opportunity to select the 20-year-old, who is spending the season on loan with the Welsh club.
A Recurring Policy for the Blues
Cardiff made a tentative verbal request regarding Kellyman's availability after the quarter-final draw was made, but did not secure written permission from Stamford Bridge. This decision follows a precedent set by Chelsea in 2022, when they prevented Crystal Palace from using Conor Gallagher against them under similar circumstances.
However, the policy has not been uniformly applied. In a notable exception, in 2018 Chelsea granted special dispensation for Derby County to field both Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori against them in the same competition.
Kellyman's Season So Far
Kellyman joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in June 2024 in a £19 million transfer, signing a six-year contract. His first year in West London was disrupted by hamstring injuries, leading to corrective surgery in March.
Now rebuilding his fitness in Wales, the young talent has made 17 appearances for Cardiff, scoring twice. His most recent goal was the opener in Saturday's thrilling 4-3 victory over Doncaster Rovers in League One.
The decision leaves Cardiff manager Erol Bulut with a selection headache as he prepares his squad for their biggest game of the season, aiming to overcome the odds and book a place in the last four of the Carabao Cup.
