Chelsea spent 200 days inside the Premier League’s top six over the last campaign, only to crash and burn and finish 10th, leaving them staring at a season without any European football.
With that, a reset is required this summer. A large squad was constructed to help cope with a bustling calendar from the Club World Cup onward, but there is no need for a bloated group with only one fixture a week.
Xabi Alonso starts work on July 1, though has already been unofficially offering his views on the squad. Now he knows they are not in Europe, he may have to become the ‘Butcher of the Bridge’, trimming the plentiful fat.
Sales are a must. Not only to make up for the European money they will be missing out on – even if Chelsea claim they are somewhat covered by their incentive-based contracts – but because Alonso does not need an army now.
Here is who we would keep, sell, and loan out of all of Chelsea’s players.
Chelsea capitulated in the second half of the season and finished 10th
Who will Xabi Alonso want to keep from this underwhelming and bloated Chelsea squad?
Liam Delap – SELL
This £30million signing last summer hasn’t worked out at all. The number of jaws he’s broken in the Premier League this season – elbowing Tottenham’s Djed Spence – matches his goal tally, his one strike coming in a 2-1 loss away at Fulham back in January.
A friend described Delap to me a couple weeks back as a ‘big fridge’. That’s all I can see now, frankly. Delap needs to leave Chelsea, find a new home, and hopefully score some goals to get his career back on track after a season of nothingness.
Wesley Fofana – SELL
Fofana has turned into a £200,000-a-week liability. His defending has been average at best, and he has shown his immaturity, on and off the pitch.
Sunday saw Fofana’s second red card of the season. Already on a yellow, he dragged down Wilson Isidor. Levi Colwill tried to claim he committed the foul himself to save his friend – shouting ‘it was me!’ at the referee – but it was no good. Chelsea were losing 2-1 to Sunderland in a game they only needed to draw to secure European football, but down to 10 men, their hopes were dashed.
Fofana’s other red card was also a stupid second yellow when he planted his studs into James Ward-Prowse. Chelsea were beating Burnley 1-0 at that time, then they drew 1-1 after Fofana’s dismissal.
Chelsea need to sell the Frenchman but their big issue will be finding a buyer willing to pay…