A tenth placed finish, a club record amount of red cards, three different head coaches, a five game losing scoring drought last seen in 1912 and a thirty three point deficit to champions Arsenal.
That is not the sort of return Chelsea's higher ups would have been hoping for after spending over one billion pounds in transfer fees in four years. Still, it is not too late to turn things round, especially with the confirmed appointment of Xabi Alonso as manager, signifying a potential strategy change in the short and long term.
With no European Football, and all of the damning evidence above indicating severe underperformance, the Blues should be conducting a fire sale this summer.
No more second, third, or maybe even fourth chances, it is time for ruthless decisions to be made. Only such decisions, followed up by better and more balanced recruitment, will allow Alonso a chance of sustained success.
Below, I analyse who should leave the club this summer, as well as a fair price for each individual.
The Goalkeepers - Rare Stability Acknowledged
Chelsea have had a goalkeeping issue ever since Thibaut Courtois left the club, but the position has surprisingly become stable after the form of Robert Sanchez over the last season. It is an area that does not require major surgery.
- Robert Sanchez - KEEP
Some fans may say 'we can't win a title with Robert Sanchez', but that is not a conversation Chelsea should be having for now. The reality is that Chelsea need to become a consistently qualifying Champions League side, and he is solid enough for that.
Sanchez is best when not tasked with constantly playing short passes from the back, and Alonso's history with Hradecky and Courtois would suggest that he will be allowed to mix up his passing, while primarily focusing on being a shot-stopper and cross-claimer, two areas in which he excels in.
- Mike Penders - LOAN
Chelsea's young goalkeeper is still one for the future in my eyes. I see no benefit in Penders coming back and being an understudy - he needs to keep playing and developing. A Premier League or continuation at Strasbourg would be where I put him for next season.
- Filip Jorgensen - SELL, £15m
The first sale of the article, and a pretty obvious one. Jorgensen looks shaky in many key areas (positioning, shot-stopping, cross claiming). He is not bad on the ball, but sources say he wants to play more, and has not done enough for more regular minutes at Chelsea.
Signed for £20.7m, Chelsea will likely take a small loss, but a respectable fee of £15m for a keeper of good age and experience shouldn't be out of the question.
The Defence - A MAJOR Clearout Needed
Chelsea's defence is not good enough, simply put. There are far too many players that are too inconsistent or injury prone, and some have been on the books for a while and never found consistency in a Blue shirt.
- Axel Disasi - SELL, £20m
A fee of around £20m for Disasi given his age and experience across the Premier League, Ligue 1 and in the Champions League should be achievable. Disasi is a good box defender and is strong aerially, but lacks pace and on ball ability for top sides.
- Aaron Anselmino - LOAN
Not really sure what his future holds long term. Talented defender but always injured.
- Trevoh Chalobah - SELL, £25m
He could be kept for squad depth, but I feel that Chalobah is actually worse now than he was a few years ago, which is never a good sign. Lacks concentration and awareness, and does not bring faith to many in one verses one situations.
I feel like there is always a mistake in him, a trait common in many of the current defenders. For all the talk of Chalobah being 'proper chels', on how many occasions can you remember a game saving challenge or moments where he leads by example?
This is a player who is 26 years old - he is experienced and not a youngster anymore, and as such, fans should want more from Chalobah from a leadership and quality standpoint.
If the club can get a respectable fee of around £25m, they should sell, especially with just two years left on his contract.
- Wesley Fofana - SELL, £25m
Could Chelsea get more for Fofana? Maybe, but his wages are huge and although he has found more regular game time this season, his injury record remains poor. Fofana has a semi-decent partnership with Levi Colwill, but Chelsea can do better. Like Chalobah and others, Fofana has too many mistakes in him and lacks discipline, receiving two red cards this season, including that awful one at the weekend.
He has also been seen on occasions laughing on the bench or joking around after matches when the time doesn't warrant it. With Chelsea briefing a possible 'cultural reset' this summer, Fofana is one of the first names that pops up in my head.
- Benoit Badiashile - SELL, £15m
Unreliable, error prone and has not developed since his first season under Graham Potter in 2023. Despite being fit for a handful of weeks, interim coach Callum McFarlane did not hand Badiashile a single minute. A move back to France may suit all parties best.
- Tosin - SELL, £10m
An easy sale again. Sources claim he is another who wants more minutes. Although liked within the squad, on the pitch Tosin cannot be trusted defensively and therefore should be moved on. Would also represent some profit for the club given the fact that he signed on a free.
- Levi Colwill - KEEP
Yay, a keep from the centre back list. Levi has shown that he is better both defensively and on the ball than any other centre back in the recent starts he has made, and that is on a return from an ACL Injury.
Sources also expect contract discussions this summer with a view for a potential pay rise.
- Josh Acheampong - KEEP
This one is simple for me, you just keep Josh and play him more. There is no need to loan him when Chelsea's other centre backs are this inconsistent. Has shown great on ball abilities, is quick and strong and should be trusted more defensively than other options in the squad, I have no idea why he hasn't been.
At worst, he makes some mistakes but you actually are developing a very good talent and someone for the future, unlike players like Fofana, Chalobah, Tosin, who are older yet keep getting consistent chances and no repercussions for mistakes.
And for those who say 'well we don't have time to develop players anymore, we need to win' okay, but I would confidently bet that he would produce more impact performances than the current options outside of Levi and Hato.
Isn't it crazy that his performance against Crystal Palace on the opening day of the season still is in the top five or maybe even top three centre back performances last season from an individual standpoint?
- Reece James - KEEP
Next.
- Malo Gusto - SELL, £40m
Maybe slightly controversial but honestly I don't think so? I sense from recent social media scrollings over the last few months that people are finally clocking on to how average he has been for a while.
Not secure technically, often horrible defending his back post and consistently shows poor crossing. He is reliable in terms of fitness, but the quality has been lacking for a long time. Josh wouldn't do worse if you gave him the same minutes. In fact, he would probably do better defensively and has physical attributes that Gusto does not have in his locker.
- Marc Cucurella - KEEP
Lot of noise lately, but I would keep Cucurella. Not sure that he is a dressing room nightmare that some seem to painting him out to be lately - in fact I have heard the opposite. Chelsea need big characters and his public questioning if the model was done out of want to see the club improve.
I feel that he has perhaps slightly declined physically, and a lengthy world cup run this summer will not help that, but with Hato's form over the back end of the season, Chelsea can now rest Cucurella more often in confidence.
Of course, if he wants to leave, and genuinely pushes for it, my stance would change.
- Jorrel Hato - KEEP
Been really good over the last few weeks and has seemingly settled into life in London after a dodgy first half of the season. To be fair, he wasn't getting many chances, but the defensive work left a lot to be desired even when he did get minutes. Now looking like someone who can reliably fill in at both centre back and left back with great reading of the game and a real talent on the ball, which Alonso will like a lot.
My proposed defence for next season, after sales, looks like :
RB: Reece James, Josh Acheampong.
RCB : *New signing*, Josh Acheampong, *New LCB signing that can also play RCB*.
LCB : Levi Colwill, *New signing that can play both LCB and RCB*, Jorrel Hato.
LB : Marc Cucurella, Jorrel Hato.
In total, according to my estimated fees, which are all fair assessments, Chelsea would raise £135m from six sales, whilst bringing in two new starting level signings.
Tosin, Badiashile and Disasi hardly feature, so it does not seem too far fetched to me at least.
Read More: Chelsea’s Summer Plans: Proven Players, Alonso’s Recommendation And Eghbali’s Stance
The Midfield - Time Is Up For A Certain Someone
Most of my proposed summer business is in defence and attack, and I feel that the midfield is one area where Chelsea have recruited well in, but there still needs to be some slight changes, so let's take a look.
- Moises Caicedo - KEEP
An obvious keep, and the business in this area of the pitch is likely to be centred around finding him a reliable pivot partner, which is essential to the way that Alonso likes to play.
- Andrey Santos - KEEP
Have heard from sources that Santos is happy at Chelsea but would like more game time. Feel that he does deserve more minutes and has shown at times that he is a good pivot partner for Caicedo. Solid on the ball and gets stuck in off it. Wouldn't turn down bids of £50m+ but not sure they would be likely to arrive this summer.
- Dario Essugo - LOAN
Seems sensible to loan him, but I really do not want Essugo to be another loan army player, he is a real talent and I still think he could be very good for Chelsea in the long term.
- Valentin Barco - KEEP
New addition from Strasbourg, Barco is a talented player and gets stuck in for his height. Would like the midfield addition next to Caicedo to be more physical, but Barco could add something different for Chelsea next season, both creatively and off the ball.
- Romeo Lavia - SELL - £30m
I tried, I have really tried to back Lavia, but I think this summer is when you let him go. Chelsea's medical department helped Lavia through enhanced RTP therapy and the club should be using his recent rare availability to put him in the shop window.
Although undeniably talented on the ball, Lavia does not possess the defensive intelligence that Caicedo's partner requires, especially in an Alonso system where the number six is likely to have to be tasked with screening the defence and tracking runners, which is another area I feel he lacks in.
Final proposed midfield unit for next season:
CM : Moises Caicedo, Valentin Barco, Reece James.
CDM : *New signing*, Andrey Santos, Reece James.
Enzo Fernandez will be included in the attacking section, as he has been playing as a number ten.
The Attack - The Difference Makers
I am titling this section 'The difference makers' because that is what Chelsea need to recruit this summer. They tried last summer, with four additions, and only one fits into that above definition. So here we are again, hoping that this summer, Chelsea will make some signings that raise both the short term floor and long term ceiling of Xabi Alonso's side.
- Joao Pedro - KEEP
A very obvious one. Chelsea's fan voted player of the season for 2025/26 scored fifteen league goals in total, a tally last matched by Tammy Abraham in the 2019/20 season. What perhaps made Joao's season more impressive was the fact that he took zero penalties. One area he could improve on next season is making more runs in behind but otherwise, he really is the all round package.
- Liam Delap - SELL, £25m
Would not be shocked to see Chelsea make their money back on Delap at £30m even though he has had a torrid time at Chelsea, simply due to the fact that he is English and was sold at a cut price last summer in comparative to his market rate thanks to a release clause in his Ipswich contract.
Just the one league goal for Chelsea, Delap seems more interested in fighting opponents than getting himself in positions to score or hitting a shot on target. Weirdly, as bad as he has been, I do think he could still come good at a side who play on transition, but Chelsea should have no regrets if that happens, as despite suffering some injuries, he has had plenty of chances to show his worth.
- Nicolas Jackson - KEEP
If you bring me a £50m+ offer then my stance could change, but Chelsea sorely missed Jackson last season. Yes, his finishing is not the best, but his all round play is fantastic, and there is truth in my opinion to the argument that Palmer missed Jackson's combination play and ability to stretch teams with his runs in behind.
Is he a bit immature? Would he let Chelsea down in a key moment like he did under Maresca with that red card at Newcastle? Those are questions the club would have to weigh up, but his time at Bayern Munich has further exposed him to winning and experienced players, and in twelve Bundesliga starts he bagged eight goals.
I am also not convinced of the other potential backup options on the market. Jackson knows many of the current squad and Alonso could value his versatility, having played off the left and in two striker formations.
- Emmanuel Emegha - LOAN
I wasn't a massive fan of the pre-agreed deal of Emegha. Perhaps he should get a chance to impress in pre season, but personally I am not convinced of his technical quality and his finishing leaves a lot left to be desired.
He seems to be quite the character, too, which could go down either very well or very badly with the supporters, and for someone still so young, I think it is best he gets a loan. We have passed the time of chucking in someone still raw in his all round play and with little big game experience into a massive club with such high expectations.
- Marc Guiu - SELL, £5M
I am sure Chelsea could get their money back here. I actually think Marc is underrated and will be following his next move very closely.
- David Datro Fofana - LOAN
I guess just loan him to a club where he is actually going to start a decent amount and then hope he does well and cash in next summer? I feel for the guy, and many Chelsea fans probably forgot we even still had him.
- Cole Palmer - KEEP
I chuckle to myself when I see some fans online have given up on him. Not being selected for the world cup could be a blessing in disguise, and I fully expect to see a rejuvenated Cole Palmer next season.
- Enzo Fernandez - KEEP
This one has to be separated into two sections, the player and the person. Basically, if he wants to stay, then keep him, he has all the leadership attributes that I would want in a winning team, and his G/A numbers are very good. I would be interested to see Alonso's plans for him, and what formation he plans to play, as those could also influence my decision, but for now, it's a keep.
If you want my feeling, I think it's more likely than not he leaves. Chelsea do not get on with his agent, and Enzo has not agreed to the provisional salary offers that were proposed to him in recent months.
- Kendry Paez - LOAN
Seems to have some form of attitude or commitment issues based off of reports. A very talented player but needs to knuckle down, and I would like to see his next loan be with a manager who will set things straight with him.
- Omari Kellyman - SELL, £5m
Kellyman has had a fantastic loan at Cardiff, scoring 11 goals last season. but surely doesn't have a long term future at Chelsea.
- Alejandro Garnacho - SELL, £30m
An extremely frustrating player to watch and a predictable flop. Can be useful off the bench at times, but only against teams that play a high line, which are very few and far in between. I never saw the hype around the signing, and for a club that relies on data, the only data they should have looked at was his terrible dribbling data at Manchester United.
I never understood how a player who struggles to create separation and lacks acceleration was meant to be good against low blocks, which Chelsea face all the time.
- Jamie Gittens - SELL, £30m
He only started five games in the league last season, and did show some flashes in the cup matches, such as his wonder strike against Wolves, so to sell him seems harsh, but my proposed attacking plan at the end will show you how I feel he wouldn't be getting enough minutes.
Maybe you could loan him, but I just can't see a £55m signing out on loan optically.
- Tyrique George - SELL, £20M.
Had a good loan at Everton when given the chance by David Moyes. Good close control, good dribbling, quick, good shot, young.. Cobham... all the reasons why perhaps Chelsea should keep him as depth, but I don't think there is room, so it's a sell.
- Estevao Willian - KEEP
Probably my favourite player to watch in the team, an obvious keep, next.
- Pedro Neto - SELL, £40m
Hoping Jorge Mendes can work some magic. I value Neto's work rate off the ball and reliability but outside of a cross, his game is so, so limited. Poor decision making, an eye sore to watch when trying to take on a man and also moans a fair bit when he doesn't get passed to and chucks his arms up in the air. Chelsea can find a much better winger to cover both flanks.
- Geovanny Quenda - KEEP
Obviously, Quenda will get a chance to impress next season. A very talented youngster, but also has Champions League experience. Can play wing back or both wings, although from what I have seen he is much better off the right, where he can cut in onto his favoured left foot. Still, Chelsea's plan seems to be to have him more off the left, so that's what we will go with.
I have calculated a proposed £160m for Chelsea to improve their attack next season, so here's what I think :
ST : Joao Pedro, Nicolas Jackson
LW : New signing, Quenda
AM : Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez
RW : New signing, Estevao, Quenda, Palmer
By adding two high quality starting wingers on both flanks, Chelsea will drastically look a much improved side.
Overall, calculations show that Chelsea, in my opinion, should be roughly raising around £335m through 15 sales.
My final squad for next season is not in order of ranking, but is as follows :
Goalkeepers : Sanchez, *new signing*.
Centre backs : Colwill, Acheampong, Hato + 2 new signings.
Fullbacks : James, Acheampong, Cucurella, Hato + 1 new signing.
Midfielders: Caicedo, Santos, Barco + 1 new signing.
Attackers : Joao Pedro, Jackson, Estevao, Quenda, Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, + 2 new signings.
Total squad size : 22.
