Eleven players would could be set for Stamford Bridge exit in Mourinho summer cull.
Thibaut Courtois
There had been suggestions that this talented young goalkeeper could be in Mourinho’s plans this season after spending two years out on loan with Atletico Madrid. Thibaut Courtois was one of the best players on the pitch as he made save after save to deny Mourinho’s Real Madrid side in the Copa Del Rey final this year, and while there’s no doubt the Portuguese coach will have been impressed, it has been confirmed now that the Belgian will spend a third season on loan in Spain.
Although regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, it is hard to see him forcing his way past Chelsea stalwart Petr Cech any time soon. The 31-year-old has been a world class performer in his time with the Blues and shows no signs of slowing down with age. Chelsea will want to have Courtois around for the future, but how long can they keep him waiting for his chance?
Branislav Ivanovic
Barcelona are keen on signing new defenders this summer after some problems at the back this season, and despite his excellent service to Chelsea, Jose Mourinho is reportedly ready to let Branislav Ivanovic join the Spanish giants. The 29-year-old Serbian has been at Stamford Bridge since 2008 and has really developed into one of the team’s key players in the last few years, showing great versatility in his ability to play either centre-back or right-back, and popping up with the occasional crucial goal as well – none more so than his late, late winner against Benfica in the Europa League final this season.
However, with Mourinho having a number of defensive targets in mind this summer, he is said to be open to offers from Barcelona. This may not go down too well with Chelsea fans, as they won’t want to lose an experienced and proven winner. Still, at his age there may not be a better time to sell him, and with Financial Fair Play regulations kicking in, Mourinho has spoken of his desire to balance the books and make more use of young players at Chelsea.
John Terry
Jose Mourinho has said that he hopes to get the best out of John Terry again, after the Chelsea captain was so influential to his success in his first spell at the club. Now 32, Terry’s influence appears to be on the wane, as does his fitness, as he spent much of the 2012/13 season out of action or on the bench under Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benitez. And despite Mourinho’s words, he may consider offers for the former England international as Monaco are keen to sign him for around £7million.
Despite Terry’s legendary status at the club, it may be time for him and the club to move on. The club are well-placed with ready-mate replacements for him with the likes of Gary Cahill establishing themselves as key performers in recent years, and the kind of money Monaco are offering is very generous for a player of his age and recent fitness record. Galatasaray are also interested and the player himself may feel he will have a better chance of playing regularly in the final years of his career elsewhere.
David Luiz
David Luiz is another defender who could face the axe after the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager. The Brazilian has had mixed success at Stamford Bridge since joining from Benfica in 2011, showing great ability and willingness to get forward, chipping in with some important goals, but this has led to him being exposed at the back.
This kind of gung-ho approach is unlikely to go down well with Mourinho, who likes his teams to be solid and well-drilled, and putting that as a priority before being entertaining in attack. This has led to suggestions that the Portuguese manager will also listen to offers for Luiz.
As with Ivanovic, Barcelona are said to be interested in the 26-year-old, who may be more suited to their expansive and adventurous style of play. Real Madrid and PSG have also been linked with him, and may all be willing to offer a massive £30million to Chelsea for his services. With Mourinho stressing the importance of Financial Fair Play, this would certainly be an offer too good to turn down for a player he doesn’t seem to rate particularly highly.
Althoug it is not yet clear if all these deals will go through, with so many defenders possibly leaving, Chelsea have been linked with replacements in the form of Real Madrid pair Pepe and Raphael Varane, as well as promising Porto youngster Eliaquim Mangala.
John Obi Mikel
Jose Mourinho fought hard to sign John Obi Mikel when he was a youngster, controversially beating Manchester United to him in 2006, but it now looks like the Nigerian is on his way out of Stamford Bridge to sign for Turkish giants Galatasaray. The player himself has confirmed the move, and it is perhaps unsurprising given some of the midfield targets Mourinho is said to have been eyeing up.
Although Mikel does his job well, he is a rather limited player, having only ever scored one goal in seven years with the club. His defensive duties can be replaced and improved on with some more well-rounded midfield players. The likes of Daniele De Rossi, Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso have all been linked with the club, and of course a Mourinho favourite in Michael Essien will return from his loan spell under the Portuguese tactician at Real Madrid. If the Ghanian can find his best form again he would surely be a starter every week for Chelsea, and his all-action displays would give the Blues something a little more than Mikel can.
Kevin De Bruyne
Jose Mourinho has suggested that talented youngster Kevin De Bruyne will get a chance to prove himself in the Chelsea first-team next season. The Belgian has impressed in his time on loan at Werder Bremen, but may struggle to break past some big names in the Blues’ attacking midfield, especially as they have just completed the big-money signing of winger Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen.
It was thought that De Bruyne could go on loan again, this time to Leverkusen as part of the Schurrle deal, but that appears to be off the cards due to the player’s desire to join Borussia Dortmund. The 21-year-old has been targeted by Jurgen Klopp as an ideal replacement for the departing Mario Goetze, and would be guaranteed games in his preferred role in an attack-minded and exciting team.
Although Mourinho has been keen to give the youngster a chance to prove himself, he won’t want to keep an unhappy player, and could once again be tempted to bring in some money as they would surely be able to sell De Bruyne for a profit, with his stock having risen considerably since he was signed for just £7million from Genk in 2012.
Juan Mata
Juan Mata has probably been Chelsea’s best player over the last two seasons since he arrived from Valencia, but Jose Mourinho’s desire to put his own stamp on this Chelsea squad could mean the Spaniard is sold this summer. Barcelona, who are also chasing Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz, are the main contenders once again for this Chelsea star, and his sale would no doubt bring in a big fee of around £30million or more.
The 25-year-old first made a name for himself in La Liga, and may be tempted to return home to one of the big two in Spain to gain more of a chance of becoming a regular for the national team. And while there’s no doubt he is an extremely gifted and skillful player, he doesn’t exactly fit the typical Mourinho mould of being strong, physical and direct.
The Portuguese boss already seems to have a number of replacements in mind, as he is particularly keen to land Hulk from Zenit St Petersburg, a player who certainly seems made to play in a Mourinho team.
However, this particular sale may be particularly concerning for Chelsea fans, and could lead them to question the judgement of the ‘special one’, despite being so keen for his return to the club for so long.
Victor Moses
Victor Moses seemed a somewhat surprising signing for Chelsea last summer, even if he did join on the back of some excellent form for Wigan, who he helped avoid relegation in 2011/12. Still, with the vast competition ahead of him at Stamford Bridge it’s no surprise that he hasn’t really managed to make much of an impact this season, spending most of his time on the bench or settling for appearances mostly in cup games.
Mourinho will be keen to free up space on the wage bill, and Moses seems an easy candidate for a player to be shown the door. He is even more unlikely to play now with the arrival of Andre Schurrle and probably more attacking players. The 22-year-old is wanted by his old manager Roberto Martinez, now in charge of Everton, and that seems his most likely destination this summer, though the likes of Swansea have also shown an interest in taking the Nigerian on loan for next season.
Chelsea will likely look to offload him permanently rather than on loan, as he simply hasn’t looked quite up to playing at such a high level, though he could still make a good career for himself in the Premier League.
Demba Ba
Demba Ba arrived from Newcastle in January for £7million, and looked a good candidate to take the goal-scoring burden off the misfiring Fernando Torres. However, the Senegalese striker has also struggled to make the step up at Stamford Bridge, scoring just twice in the league for the Blues, despite being one of the in-form players in the Premier League in the first half of the season, when he scored 13 times.
Ba also has a poor injury record, and is generally not the most all-round talented player. He has shown great goal-poaching ability, but when he is off form there is little else for him to fall back on, and Mourinho may understandably feel he could do with an improvement in that area, as he likes to play with target men who can hold the ball up and link play effectively.
The 29-year-old has been linked with a return to West Ham, where he first impressed in the Premier League, though they may only be able to take him on loan, and Chelsea will presumably be keen to sell him on permanently.
Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres’ time at Stamford Bridge is surely up. After Roman Abramovich forked out a club record £50million, the Russian owner has been keen for his managers to be patient with the former Liverpool star, though Jose Mourinho is unlikely to carry this passenger any longer. The Portuguese boss recently described Torres as “so-so”, and it’s no surprise he may think it is even beyond him to reignite Torres’ flagging career.
With Napoli star Edinson Cavani said to be a major target for the Blues and Rafael Benitez now in charge there, Torres has found himself linked with the Italian club as part of a swap deal, though La Liga champions Barcelona have also shown a surprise interest in the Spaniard, making that four possible Chelsea players they could sign this summer.
Romelu Lukaku
After impressing a host of clubs on loan at West Brom in 2012/13, Belgian youngster Romelu Lukaku will have plenty to choose from if he ends up leaving Chelsea this summer, even if it is only on loan once again.
Jose Mourinho has said that, like De Bruyne, Lukaku will be a young player that is given a chance to impress in the Chelsea first-team this year, as he sees the 20-year-old as a similar kind of player to the legendary Didier Drogba.
However, with the Blues still pursuing some big-name strikers such as Cavani, Stevan Jovetic and Hulk, Lukaku may feel that there is still going to be too much competition ahead of him at the club, and he is said to be keen on joining Borussia Dortmund along with team-mate De Bruyne. The two could combine to deadly effect for Jurgen Klopp’s side, and prove ideal replacements for Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski, the former of whom has already left and the latter of whom may soon be joining.