A look at who should leave and who should be brought in at Chelsea this summer.
Out: John Terry
The legendary captain’s time at Stamford Bridge may be coming to an end if reports are to be believed. The 32-year-old is showing signs that he’s not quite the player he was, with some injury worries over the last couple of years and a failure to repeat the kind of form that made him one of the best defenders in the world for some time.
Galatasaray are supposedly keen on Terry, and he is tempted by a move to the Turkish giants after spending a lot of time on the bench this season behind preferred options like David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic. The end of an era, certainly, but it may be the right time for Terry to move on.
Out: Frank Lampard
The veteran midfielder has had a great end to the season, firing in some crucial goals for Chelsea and breaking a long-standing record for the club by overtaking Bobby Tambling as the Blues’ all-time leading goalscorer. Despite his form, he is not being offered a new contract by Roman Abramovich as the Russian owner looks to change around the team.
There are suggestions that he could be kept around if Jose Mourinho returns to the club this summer, but the former West Ham man is also said to be considering offers from abroad, with Monaco and LA Galaxy both interested in the 34-year-old. He undoubtedly still has plenty to offer, but can at least go out on a high after reaching an incredible 203 goals for the club. A true Chelsea legend, but all good things come to an end.
Out: Yossi Benayoun
Another ageing player with not much use to Chelsea, Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun has been unfortunate with injuries since joining the club from Liverpool in 2010, but with some unconvincing loan spells at Arsenal and West Ham, he looks well past his best and admits himself that he is unlikely to break past the likes of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar in the team’s pecking order.
His departure would hopefully free up some playing time for exciting youngster Kevin De Bruyne, who returns from a loan spell at Werder Bremen next season.
Out: Michael Essien
The competitive Ghanian midfielder was once a key part of Chelsea’s success in the mid-noughties, but has not shown himself to be capable of staying fit for any meaningful period of time. The 30-year-old has had a decent spell on loan with Real Madrid this season, but the club need to move on from a player who will not be able to compete physically in the heart of the Blues’ midfield as he used to. The player himself says he hopes to return to Stamford Bridge and compete for a place, but it seems unlikely.
Mourinho was the man who originally brought Essien to the club from Lyon in 2005, and he will have a decision to make this summer after working with him for a year at Real.
Out: Fernando Torres
There’s not a lot more that can be said about Fernando Torres’ disastrous time at Chelsea, but it’s clear now that the Spanish striker is never going to rediscover the form that made him a star at Liverpool and prompted Roman Abramovich to splash out a record-breaking £50million for him. The 29-year-old has scored just 14 league goals in three seasons at Stamford Bridge, and will surely be on the way out this summer. Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested in bringing their former striker home, and Chelsea will surely be happy to accept any offer to put this whole embarrassment to an end.
Abramovich has done everything to prove his signing wasn’t a mistake, and managers Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberti Di Matteo and Rafael Benitez have all been charged with relighting Torres’ spark, but none have succeeded. With many big-name forwards being linked to the club, this is clearly a sign that Torres surely no longer features in their plans.
In: Sami Khedira (Real Madrid)
The German midfielder is supposedly one of the players Jose Mourinho would like to bring with him if he rejoins Chelsea this summer. The 26-year-old has shown himself to be a consistent and reliable performer at Real Madrid since joining from Stuttgart in 2010, and would definitely be a strong candidate to shore up Chelsea’s midfield problems.
Strong in the tackle and good going forward, Khedira would be a decent alternative to John Obi Mikel, and complement Ramires well, and overall looks like a player who would really fit in in English football. Real will probably not want to sell their key player, and his team-mate Xabi Alonso has also been mentioned as a possibility for Chelsea in this position.
In: Aleksandar Dragovic (FC Basel)
With John Terry no longer at his best and possibly set for a summer move to Galatasaray, Chelsea would do well to invest in some new centre-backs. Aleksandar Dragovic has been a key player in FC Basel’s team this season, helping them to the semi-finals of the Europa League and attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal. Still only 22, the talented youngster would be a great long-term option for the Blues and they’d be wise to stop their rivals signing him, and could surely offer more money to help their cause.
The player himself has said he fancies a move to English football, so this could happen if Chelsea step up their interest. Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos has also been linked.
In: Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen)
Chelsea are reportedly close to wrapping up a deal for this exciting German prospect.
The 22-year-old Bayer Leverkusen winger has lit up the Bundesliga with his displays this season, scoring 13 goals and providing 8 assists to help his side to third in the table, and would certainly compete with the likes of Mata, Hazard and Oscar for a place in the team, as well as aid the Blues’ goalscoring problems upfront. A £20million deal is apparently nearly complete, and would represent a good move in the transfer market for Chelsea for a player they are believed to have been tracking for a long time.
In:Isco (Malaga)
Manchester City are currently favourites to land arguably Spain’s brightest prospect in a £27million move, as Manuel Pellegrini will look to bring him to the Etihad Stadium from Malaga with him, but Chelsea have been linked with him as well and could do with his skills and goals from midfield to replace Frank Lampard if he leaves.
Still only 21 and full of promise, he could be a long-serving hero at Stamford Bridge if they can fight off City for his signature. Linking up with fellow Spaniard Mata could be a selling point, in what would be a mouth-watering partnership.
In: Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid)
Chelsea will face a lot of competition from several other clubs for Radamel Falcao, arguably the most clinical finisher in the world at the moment.
The Colombian has scored 69 goals in the last two seasons and will surely not be at the club for much longer, as Monaco are readying a massive £50million bid which would shock the football world. Manchester United and Real Madrid have also been linked, but Chelsea could have the edge in landing the former Porto man if they offer Torres back to his hometown club in return. There would arguably be no better player to score goals and fire the Blues back to the top than Falcao, who would surely only improve in a better team, with the fantastic service from the likes of Mata, Hazard, Oscar and maybe Schurrle and Isco behind him.