Chelsea faces difficulties in plan to 'liberate' squad

The list of names expected to leave Chelsea this summer remains elusive, with little or no indication that the Blues will sell unwanted players when the transfer window officially opens. Meanwhile, players considered part of the club's long-term plans under new manager Mauricio Pochettino are said to want to leave.

Coach Pochettino will have difficulty cleaning up Chelsea's squad

Speculation has been rife over the futures of key players such as N'Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic in recent weeks, all of whom are respected and loved by the Stamford Bridge faithful.

It looks like Chelsea's squad clean-up will be more thorough than many expected, with the London club potentially facing a complete overhaul under Pochettino.

Despite being key players at Stamford Bridge in recent years, Kante, Mount and Kovacic are all likely to leave. While Havertz's future remains uncertain, Kante's mind has been changed by a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, while Kovacic is close to joining Man City after agreeing terms with the English champions. Mount is being pursued by United with a formal offer in hand, while Havertz has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Kante prepares to go to Saudi Arabia

Kovacic is out of contract in 12 months and the Blues are reluctant to let him go for free. Kante's departure is all the more surprising, given he is one of the best, if not the best, defensive midfielders of all time. However, age and injuries suggest Chelsea may be better off parting ways with the 32-year-old when his contract expires at the end of June. Despite earning close to £300,000 a week, the Frenchman has only made nine appearances in the 2022-23 season. Kante is reportedly only due for a medical before joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad for a much higher salary.

The departures of Mount and Havertz were due to Chelsea not renewing their contracts. Havertz has been disappointing despite shining in key moments and has been largely out of position, and the imminent arrival of Christopher Nkunku means he could be considered surplus to requirements.

There is little speculation surrounding which players in the squad are expected to be changed this summer, with departures likely to run into double digits as Chelsea attempt to cut their wage bill to comply with financial fair play rules.

Havertz (right) could find a way out as Chelsea will not be able to participate in European Cup next season.

Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been touted for moves to Saudi Arabia, while Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have been linked with moves to AC Milan. But all moves are yet to be finalised.

It’s early days, of course, with the transfer window just opened, but once things settle down, Pochettino will be looking at a squad of 31 players that was difficult for his predecessors Graham Potter and Frank Lampard to fill. Chelsea’s transfer negotiators Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart need to get to work quickly, but that will depend on what’s going on behind the scenes.

Kovacic (right) is likely to leave Chelsea

Pochettino's priority when he starts on July 1 will be to trim his squad, which could leave Chelsea behind in the early stages of the summer transfer window. The Blues are expected to tighten their spending after two big windows under the new ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, so they could put off pursuing key targets such as midfielder Moises Caicedo, goalkeeper Andre Onana and striker Victor Osimhen.

Furthermore, Chelsea have just gone through a nightmare season in 2022 - 2023. Therefore, new contracts will also hesitate before the offer because "The Blues" do not qualify for any European tournament next season.

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