Chelsea could sell a total of eight players to balance the wage bill in the summer
Eight Chelsea players are expected to be sold during the summer transfer window as the club plans to make major roster changes under Mauricio Pochettino for the upcoming season.
There are several players that could leave this summer, (h/t Mirror) including Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, and also letting Joao Felix return after his loan spell.
This is because they had to trim down their oversized squad, which was causing chaos in the locker room and making training sessions ineffective. While having strength in depth is good, too much of it can be counter-effective.
Pochettino, who was formally named as the Blues’ next manager, will begin his duties on July 1 and will want to rejig his roster. The club’s staff has been instructed by the Argentine manager to bring in a goalkeeper, striker, and midfielder.
All of the aforementioned players have drawn interest from other clubs around Europe, and the Blues are looking to sell them in order to balance the payroll. Additionally, it is said that the former Tottenham Hotspur manager plans to assemble his squad around Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Reece James, and Ben Chilwell, with N’Golo Kante’s expertise serving as a complement.
Mount is one of the players Pochettino wants to keep, although the midfielder hasn’t signed a new contract as of yet. Hopefully, the youth graduate will be keen to stay put and change his mind.
We appear to be entering a busy summer, which will once again involve a squad revamp. A few of the aforementioned players, nevertheless, are still eligible to play for the team the following season. Joao Felix, who joined in January but has been really excellent this season, is someone we could consider keeping. But Atletico Madrid are unlikely to sell him on the cheap.
More Chelsea News:
- Chelsea will need to fork out £40m to secure Brentford star David Raya
- Fabrizio Romano reveals Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea to sign Manuel Ugarte
- Chelsea legend Emmanuel Petit believes Raheem Sterling has been the biggest flop of the season for Chelsea
Pochettino’s task won’t be easy and it is imperative that he gets the summer right. The last thing we need is another season where we underachieve, making a mockery of the money thrown at recruitment.