Chelsea is currently sitting at the top of the Premier League and is positioned well to fight for titles at all fronts. Reports are already surfacing about the Blues looking to strengthen their squad even further in January.
The European champions however also have a squad that is already packed with many players. Hence alongside signing new players Chelsea should also think about selling some of their stars in January.
Winter transfer windows are often used to address major issues in the squad. Chelsea could use this as an advantage to sell some of their players in January and fund themselves for their own moves. Here are 3 players the club should consider selling.
KEPA ARRIZABALAGA
The Spaniard joined Chelsea in 2018 for a record fee of £71million. This is the highest ever transfer fee paid for a goalkeeper as Chelsea hoped to replace Thibout Courtois with Kepa. However, the move did not go as planned for both parties.
Though Kepa was decent, he was still prone to error. His debacle with former manager Maurizio Sarri on the pitch also didn’t do well for his reputation. Once Frank Lampard took over as the manager, the 27-year-old started losing his position in the team and with the arrival of Edouard Mendy, it became very less.
Current manager Thomas Tuchel has provided him with opportunities, yet it’s not enough for someone who is in his prime. There is interest from clubs like Juventus, Barcelona and Lazio for Kepa. Juventus is an interesting option as Chelsea could use this as a bargain for Matthijs de Ligt, whom the club have been monitoring for a while. The only thing that Chelsea will be worried about is the upcoming African Cup of Nations, which could see Mendy miss around 1 month of football.
ANTONIO RUDIGER
Rudiger has been one of the main players for current manager Thomas Tuchel and hence there will be a doubt why he makes this list. The German has his contract with the club end in the summer of 2022. This means that Chelsea could lose the 28 years for free at the end of the season.
Chelsea is currently trying to tie him down with a new contract, but no progress has been made in the negotiations. It is reported that clubs like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and PSG are monitoring the situation and they can start talks with the player from January.
The situation is similar for Andreas Christensen, who also could leave the club on a free next summer. But it would be easier to renew his contract and that is why Rudiger make the list. For Chelsea, unless a contract extension is made, the best choice would be to sell him in January and at least get some money back. They could also use the funds from the transfer for their own targets.
HAKIM ZIYECH
The Moroccan is a really talented player but is a victim of the system. Manager Tuchel uses a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 system, in which Ziyech looks to be a misfit.
Ziyech has not had a good run of playtime in Chelsea. A move away looks to be the best option for him to revive his career. Borussia Dortmund wants the 28-year-old for an initial loan move in January, and Chelsea could be ready to allow him to leave.
OTHER CHELSEA CANDIDATES FOR JANUARY
Chelsea also has many other players who could find much more playing time if they make the move. Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all are bit-part players and do not make it into the best 11 of Chelsea.
However, it is very unlikely that Chelsea would sell all their assets in January. But the club could be ready to hear offers for some of them and clubs should be considering approaching them.
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