The ink is barely dry on Antonio Conte’s contract as Chelsea manager and the guessing has begun about what Blues stars will Conte axe on his arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer.
Going back to last season Chelsea have been struggling for the last 18 months and big changes are expected in west London.
Conte’s first job will be deciding which Chelsea players he will keep or move on? What to do with captain John Terry who is out of contract this summer?
Then, there’s the loan players. Chelsea currently have 32 players out on loan and the likes of Juan Cuadrado, Victor Moses, Nathan Ake and Andreas Christensen who have impressed on loan this season. Do they have a future at Chelsea?
Three big names that could leave this summer are Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Diego Costa. Hazard and Courtois have failed to publicly commit their future to Chelsea with less than resounding comments in the media, while Costa is continuously linked with a move back to Atletico Madrid. All three are star names but can Conte convince them all to stay?
Below them are Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Oscar who have all had disappointing seasons. Can Conte turn their form around or is it time to move this trio on??
Then there are the squad players like Loic Remy, John Obi Mikel, Radamel Falcao (on loan), Alexandre Pato (on loan), that are not expected to be back next season.
It is not inconceivable that Chelsea loses 7 or 8 from its current 25-man squad, a huge turnover for a side that sauntered to the Premier League title a year ago.
Who do you think that Chelsea will sell this summer?