Chelsea now expecting ‘lots of departures’ at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea boss Graham Potter won’t be “finding it easy” to manage his squad at Stamford Bridge, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth revealed to GIVEMESPORT.
Potter guided Chelsea to only their second victory of the calendar year against Leeds United at the weekend, but suggestions of a huge summer clear-out have already started to gather pace.
Chelsea manager news – Graham Potter
Narrowly beating Premier League strugglers Leeds on Saturday afternoon, Chelsea were able to pick up their first set of three points since mid-January.
GiveMeSport VIDEO OF THE DAY
It was far from convincing for the Blues, who only edged out the Yorkshire-based outfit thanks to a second-half goal from summer signing Wesley Fofana.
The ex-Leicester City defender is one of 16 new players signed for the Chelsea first-team this season, with the west Londoners’ total business costing just under £600 million (Transfermarkt).
According to The Telegraph, the Blues are planning yet another busy summer transfer window, this time with the onus on players heading out the door.
It’s claimed Chelsea’s co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are keen to avoid a situation where a number of key players enter the final year of their contract, with the preference to cash in while they can instead.
That currently applies to the likes of Mateo Kovačić, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, César Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva, who all have less than 18 months left on their contracts.
Elsewhere, The Evening Standard are also reporting that players such as Hakim Ziyech, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy could all be on the chopping block this summer.
What has Dharmesh Sheth said about Chelsea’s summer plans?
Speaking in an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports reporter Sheth admitted Potter is currently struggling with the size of his squad, while hinting a number of players are likely to leave Stamford Bridge.
On the potential mass exodus of players, Sheth said: “I think the big thing that’s going to happen in the summer for Chelsea is that there’s going to be a lot of departures.
“I’m sure that Graham Potter’s not finding it easy to even do his training sessions, when he’s got so many players that he needs to keep happy, let alone on a match day.
“He’s probably got his own methods, maybe thinking well, I want to do 11 v 11. Well, he could do 11 v 11 v 11 v 11, the way that the squad has been inflated over the last two transfer windows.”
Will there be any new arrivals at Chelsea this summer?
Considering they’ve spent over £500 million on new talent this season, it’s hard to imagine an area on the pitch where Chelsea feel like they might want to improve.
Regardless, there are suggestions the big-spending Blues will re-enter the market for more reinforcements at the end of the season.
In the same Evening Standard report, it’s claimed Brentford’s David Raya is a target for Chelsea, amid claims Potter is currently unhappy with his goalkeeping options.
Chelsea have been tipped to compete against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur for Raya’s signature, with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Robert Sánchez another mooted goalkeeper target (The Mirror).