A number of players in the Chelsea squad are desperate to leave the club this summer and the situation is becoming "messy" ahead of the 2022/23 season.
That is an opinion held by former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino, who has warned Thomas Tuchel to fix the current predicament at the Blues, where stars are hoping to leave. Chelsea's pre-season campaign has not gone to plan so far after they failed to beat MLS side Charlotte and fell to a 4-0 defeat against Arsenal.
Timo Werner is someone who is keen to leave as he searches for regular game time ahead of the World Cup later this year. The German forward made the switch to the Blues back in 2020 but has struggled for form during his time in England and could be in line for a return to the Bundesliga, with Borussia Dortmund keen.
Meanwhile, captain Cesar Azpilicueta and left-back Marcos Alonso want to join Barcelona, winger Hakim Ziyech wants to go to AC Milan and Christian Pulisic is hoping for more minutes. And Cascarino believes there will be more outgoings and has warned Tuchel that the squad is "littered" with players pursuing exits.
The former Blues striker told talkSPORT: “[There is] So much uncertainty within that squad. Take Timo Werner, who has made it quite clear he’d like to move on and play elsewhere as he wants more game time ahead of the World Cup.
“That’s littered in Chelsea’s squad, way too many. You also have to add in departures at the top end of the club. That doesn’t always affect what happens on the field, but from [former chairman] Bruce Buck to Marina [Granovskaia, former director] to [former technical and performance advisor] Petr Cech, there’s too much change at Chelsea. It’s becoming a bit messy.”
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Tuchel blasted his players for their lack of commitment after the loss against Arsenal. Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Albert Sambi Lokonga set alarm bells ringing, with the Blues shambolic at the back and toothless up front.
Asked whether his team would be ready for their Premier League opener against Everton on August 6, Tuchel said: "I cannot guarantee it. I saw today a team in Arsenal who are mentally committed to an idea of playing, a level of exhaustion, a level of physical commitment that we could not match.
"Also, a level of mental commitment that we lacked because we have a lot of players who are thinking about leaving and looking at their options. We have players that have left and I think at the moment that's obvious."
