Raheem Sterling spent 18 months as a member of Chelsea's so-called 'bomb squad' before agreeing to end his contract by mutual consent.
The England international, 31, had not played a competitive game for the London side since May 2024 and no longer trained with the first-team squad, with no realistic prospect of selection for matches.
His Chelsea team-mate Axel Disasi was also frozen out and made to train with both the Under-21s and the 'bomb squad' before the arrival of Liam Rosenior.