Chelsea faces difficulties in plan to 'liberate' squad

The list of names expected to leave Chelsea this summer remains unpredictable. When the summer transfer window officially opens, there is little or no sign that the Blues will sell unwanted players. 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 over the futures of key players such as N'Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic has been rife 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 reigning English champions. Mount is being pursued by United with a formal offer, while Havertz has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Kante prepares to go to Saudi Arabia

Kovacic's contract expires 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 said to have only undergone a medical before joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad, who will be paid several times more.

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

There has been 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) may look for a way out because 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 AC Milan. But all moves are yet to be made official.

Of course, it’s early days in the transfer window, but once things settle down, Pochettino will be looking at a 31-man squad that was difficult for his predecessors Graham Potter and Frank Lampard. 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 work 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 booming transfer 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 2022 - 2023. Therefore, new contracts will also hesitate before the offer because "The Blues" are not qualified to participate in any European tournament next season.

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