A host of disgruntled players are ready to leave Chelsea after growing disillusioned with life at Stamford Bridge.
It's a been a season of turmoil for the Blues, who were purchased by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital back in May. Since then, the Londoners have sacked two head coaches and are currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League under the guidance of Frank Lampard, who has returned to the club as caretaker manager until the end of the season. Mauricio Pochettino is being lined up to take charge in the summer.
Chelsea have spent over £500million on new signings since Boehly and co took charge, with further deals expected in the summer. And with several loan stars set to return ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, members of the Blues' bloated squad are far from happy.
A fresh report from The Athletic has outlined that 'several' players now want to leave the club - including some who are under contract beyond the end of the 23/24 season.
Furthermore, it is also believed that some of the club's newer signings, who have all agreed to controversial long-term deals at Boehly's behest, are 'regretting' their decision to commit to the club for so long given recent events at Stamford Bridge.
There is an acceptance at the club that Chelsea will head into the summer transfer window with the aim of cutting their squad down to a more manageable size. Players who are entering the final year of their contracts and are reluctant to re-sign will be moved on as a priority, while there is also the chance that players with just two years left to run on their deals could be sold too if attractive offers arrive.
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Veteran defender Thiago Silva hit out at the size of the current Blues' squad following their Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid earlier this month. As it stands, 33 senior players have made appearances for the club this season.
“It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision,” Silva said. “Change of ownership, new players arriving — we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad.
“A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad but, on the other hand, there are always players that are going to be unhappy. There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play.
“The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something — that’s tough. Some can’t make the squad. We signed eight in January. We need to stop and put a strategy in place otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes.”
