3 Chelsea players who could leave the club this summer

The Thomas Tuchel era at Stamford Bridge has been nothing short of remarkable so far, with the German guiding Chelsea from the brink of mediocrity to a second Champions League triumph in the space of just six months.

Arriving in late January after the sacking of Frank Lampard, Tuchel immediately sured up the Blues’ defence and masterminded a staggering 12 clean sheets in his first 14 games in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel’s arrival also offered several seemingly out of favour Chelsea players a lifeline, with the likes of Marcos Alonso, Antonio Rudiger and Kepa Arrizabalaga all utilised much more towards the end of the season.

With fans still reeling in the wake of the European triumph over Manchester City in May, it appears that the club are already lining up potential targets for when the transfer window reopens in July.

The Blues have been heavily linked with Erling Braut Haaland, Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku as they look to solve the striker crisis that hindered them for parts of last season.

However, it is also the case that players would have to be sold first to free up places in the squad. Below we list three players who could be sold to raise funds and allow for more summer signings.

Marcos Alonso

Alonso could be set for a Stamford Bridge exit.

Chelsea raised a few eyebrows in 2016 when they signed Alonso from Fiorentina, with the player’s only previous spells in England having been unsuccessful ones with both Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers. Surprisingly, Alonso impressed during his first two seasons at the club, then under the tenure of Antonio Conte. In the years since, he has struggled to maintain the starting spot at left-back and the arrival of Ben Chilwell last summer looked to be the final straw. Under Tuchel, Alonso reemerged in the first team, however it is believed that he is looking for a new challenge and the club will not stand in his way if an offer is made. It has been reported that Alonso would be sold to Inter Milan as part of a deal to sign wing-back Achraf Hakimi, however it looks like the Morocco international is now on his way to Paris Saint-Germain. If the Spaniard is still going to push for a move away from SW6, he is likely to have suitors in both the Premier League and his homeland.

Tammy Abraham

A little over six months ago, Tammy Abraham was at the peak of his career to date. Chelsea’s top scorer in all competitions last season, the Englishman was a regular under Lampard and was finally proving his ability in the Premier League, something which his sceptics had doubted. Under Tuchel, however, Abraham was almost completely shunned and often failed to even make the matchday squad. His miserable spell during Tuchel’s reign was epitomised when he failed to make the bench for the FA Cup final against Leicester City, despite being the Blues’ top scorer in the competition. Chelsea fans seem in agreement that Abraham will leave the club this summer, with Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Olivier Giroud all seemingly ahead of him in the number nine pecking order. If he does choose to leave and the club allow him to do so, it has been rumoured that a number of Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa who he enjoyed a successful loan spell with three years ago, could be interested in his services.

Abraham has been left out in the cold by Tuchel and could depart this summer.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa has been replaced by Edouard Mendy as Chelsea’s number 1 stopper. 

Still the most expensive goalkeeper in history, Kepa’s time at Chelsea has been nothing short of a nightmare. After arriving as a relative unknown from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, Kepa kept 14 clean sheets during his first season at Stamford Bridge and looked to have a long future ahead with the club. However, two years later and after a comedy of errors and a bizarre moment where he appeared to refuse being substituted in the 2019 Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, it looks like Kepa’s time at Chelsea could be coming to an end. The Spain international, who cost a staggering £72 million, has become a figure of ridicule from supporters for his regular errors and extraordinary run of bad luck. Kepa was demoted to second choice last summer when Edouard Mendy arrived, but remained at the club to fight for his spot. Since Tuchel’s arrival, however, the ‘keeper has shown signs of improvement, keeping six clean sheets and conceding just 11 goals in 14 games across all competitions last term. Chelsea will almost certainly make quite a hefty financial loss if they are to sell the 26-year-old, with his struggles at the club widely publicised. Clubs – like as reported, Lazio – will, however, be aware of the ability he showed earlier in his career and someone may be willing to take a risk on him for the right price.

With deals unlikely to be completed until after the climax of Euro 2020, July could prove to be a very busy month for Chelsea.