It’s rebuild season at Chelsea. That means new players are coming in to Stamford Bridge, and it should mean plenty head in the opposite direction.
Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner are both on their way, and Chelsea aren’t done yet. Frank Lampard wants change, and he can finance that by selling some of the fringe players in the squad. Thanks to the loan army, there’s a whole lot of players who should be heading for the exit door.
Here, 90min takes a look at who Lampard should be looking to offload.
1. Emerson
Does anyone know what Emerson does?
He’s underwhelming in attack and unreliable in defence, so he doesn’t bring anything to the team. Lampard rarely even wants him in the matchday squad.
With two years left on his contract, Emerson’s value is only going to drop from this point on. It’s time to cash in while Chelsea still can.
Marcos Alonso should stick around, but only if he’s going to be a backup. In terms of an attacking full-back, the Spaniard is one of the best around, and that makes him a valuable asset… to an extent.
2. Ross Barkley
Ross Barkley has felt like the odd man out in Chelsea’s midfield for a while now. Jorginho, N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kova?i? and Mason Mount have all been ahead of him in the pecking order, and he’s only going to drop further.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is back fit, Billy Gilmour has broken through, Hakim Ziyech is on his way, Tino Anjorin is emerging and Conor Gallagher is the next loan star. There’s just no room for Barkley.
As a 26-year-old England international, Barkley can still command a sizeable fee. It’s a no-brainer.
3. Michy Batshuayi
Believe it or not, Chelsea fans don’t really like it when strikers make bad runs, refuse to pass and fail to score goals. That’s why Michy Batshuayi has fallen out of favour.
The Blues obviously recognise that because they’ve struck a deal for RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner – a man capable of scoring goals at a reliable rate. Finally.
Batshuayi has just one year on his contract and we all know he’s not getting an extension. He needs to be sold now.
4. Willian & Pedro
A special shout-out to Willian and Pedro here. The experienced wingers are both approaching the final weeks of their contracts, and that’s exactly how it should be.
Neither has done enough to justify their high wages and regular appearances in the starting lineup. Thanks for the years of loyal service, but this has to be goodbye.
Chelsea are simply moving in a different direction now, and getting Pedro and Willian’s high salaries off the books will go a long way to financing a rebuild.
5. Danny Drinkwater
If Chelsea only sell one player this summer, please can they make it Danny Drinkwater? Please.
With more scandals than Premier League appearances in the last few years, this deal has only become more embarrassing than it already was (and that’s saying something).
Even if he goes for free, Chelsea just need to get it done. Fans can’t cope with two more years of this.
6. Baba Rahman
It’s easy to forget that Baba Rahman – once one of the most exciting left-backs around – is still a Chelsea player.
Because of injuries, the Ghanaian has barely kicked a ball since 2016, and it’s safe to say that his chance to make it at Stamford Bridge is long gone.
He won’t raise much money these days, but every little helps.
7. Davide Zappacosta
Like Baba, Davide Zappacosta has had a tough time with injuries this year, but he never actually had a chance of making it at Chelsea anyway.
One of Antonio Conte’s unnecessarily expensive buys, Zappacosta was swiftly shipped out on loan to Roma, where he managed just 12 minutes of action before picking up a season-ending injury.
He has been publicly flirting with Roma for the chance to stay there, and that would be in everyone’s best interests.
8. Victor Moses
Victor Moses has gone from squad player, to flop, to star and back to flop during his eight years at Chelsea. The 2012/13 Europa League run was great and his role in the 2016/17 Premier League title win will never be forgotten, but that feels like a long time ago now.
His reunion with Conte at Inter hasn’t exactly gone to plan, and even if they don’t choose to make the deal permanent, Chelsea need to look for another buyer.
Moses still has value to someone, it’s just a case of finding out who that is.
9. Tiemoué Bakayoko
Speaking of flops…
Apart from a catchy fan chant, Tiemoué Bakayoko has contributed very little during his time as a Chelsea player (and for the record, he does give the ball away). When you cost £40m, that’s hardly ideal.
If Paris Saint-Germain or AC Milan can be convinced to pay anywhere close to that mark, Chelsea should bite their hand off. Most fans would even contribute to his plane ticket.
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