Chelsea's overcrowded squad: Five unwanted stars to leave worth over €100m

Xabi Alonso has begun his tenure as Chelsea head coach with players recently returning to Cobham for pre-season training. After a short-lived spell at Real Madrid, Alonso will be aiming to rebuild his reputation as one of the most promising young coaches in Europe that he gained from working wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. It won’t be overly difficult to improve on a dismal campaign where Chelsea missed out on European qualification by finishing tenth.

Having a less hectic schedule will unquestionably help Chelsea in the Premier League and allow Alonso more time to work with his players. Since they were purchased by Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have competed for the top honours and Alonso will be tasked with returning them to former glories. Chelsea’s often haphazard approach in the transfer window under BlueCo’s ownership has drawn significant criticism and they possess a bloated first-team squad, which stands at 37 on Transfermarkt. Therefore, we’ve analysed five players, who are expected to head through the exit door in the coming weeks.

Five Chelsea stars facing exit

Chelsea still arguably need a new first-choice goalkeeper although there are high hopes for Mike Penders. Filip Jørgensen, however, is expected to depart this summer with the Danish international wanting to play regularly. The 24-year-old only made ten starts last season and didn’t overly impress but there will be interest in his services. Jørgensen is realistically third-choice currently and Chelsea will hope to net a fee close to his €15m market value.

Axel Disasi is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and was famously part of the ‘bomb-squad’ last season. Disasi’s reputation increased after a very impressive loan spell at West Ham, despite their relegation, and he provided a reminder of his qualities to potential suitors. Like Jorgensen, Disasi is valued at €15m but he could be difficult to shift as his wage demands are substantial and his deal runs until 2029.

Benoît Badiashile represents another expensive mistake from Chelsea, who is on a long-term contract until 2030. The French centre-back arrived in 2023 from Monaco for €38m as a promising young talent but he’s been unable to deliver on his potential. Badiashile only made 12 starts last season and he’s unlikely to be part of Alonso’s plans despite his tendency to deploy three centre-backs. It’s gone very quiet in terms of speculation around clubs being interested in Badiashile and that’s hardly surprising.

Alonso has already stated that Alejandro Garnacho can leave Chelsea this summer and Roma are the frontrunners for his signature. Garnacho progressed through the ranks at Manchester United amid great excitement but his reputation has plummeted across the last two seasons. Chelsea paid €46.2m to sign him from United last summer but a loan deal to Italy with a buy-option seems the likeliest terms of his exit.

Of all the players on the list, Liam Delap is the one who could have a future at Chelsea but it remains debatable. It was viewed as a major coup that Chelsea won the race for his signature last summer after an impressive season with Ipswich but he was massively underwhelming. Delap only scored three goals in 47 appearances and that’s simply not good enough for a club with Chelsea’s ambitions. Emmanuel Emegha’s arrival from Strasbourg and Nicolas Jackson reportedly set to be afforded another chance makes it difficult to envisage Delap challenging Joao Pedro to be Chelsea’s number nine.