It’s been reported that up to eight Chelsea players could be at risk of facing the axe from boss Frank Lampard this summer.
There have been positives for Chelsea so far this season as Lampard has kept them in fourth place in the Premier League table as they look to secure Champions League football for next year.
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Further, the emergence of a number of youth stars has been a boost, and at times they’ve played great football, as seen as recently as the weekend in their win over rivals Tottenham.
However, question marks will be raised over the quality level of the squad after they were beaten 3-0 at home by Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie in midweek, and Lampard himself revealed a lot in his post-match interview, as seen in the video below.
The Chelsea boss seems to hint that he believes much needs to be done by all at the club to ensure that the Blues are competing at that top level again, and it could start with a clear out.
According to The Sun, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Kurt Zouma, Emerson Palmieri, Marcos Alonso, Jorginho, Ross Barkley, Willian and Pedro could all be at risk of being axed by Lampard this summer.
While the likes of Willian and Pedro will see their respective contracts expire, it would be more of a surprise to see Jorginho and Barkley leave given how heavily they’ve featured under Lampard so far this season.
Nevertheless, perhaps he feels as though Chelsea need upgrades in those departments if they wish to compete for major honours again, and so time will tell how many of the names mentioned above move on this summer and who comes in to replace them.
That said, it’s a huge risk to axe so many players in one window, not only in terms of losing too much depth, but also essentially starting from scratch and trying to introduce too many new players at the same time which will take a while to settle.
Chelsea have already officially announced a deal to sign Hakim Ziyech from Ajax this summer, and now if the touted exits noted above materialise, there could be many more new faces arriving at Stamford Bridge too.
"It's a reality check for the work that needs to be done."
A chastening night for Frank Lampard and his young Chelsea side. A chance to refocus and rebuild.
? @DesKellyBTS pic.twitter.com/brkRbdx4M8
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 25, 2020