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#3 Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi made his Chelsea debut in the Premier League under Antonio Conte at the age of just 17 years. However, the youngster's career has stagnated in the last 18 months following his return from an Achilles injury.
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He struggled to cement his place in the team under Frank Lampard and his first-team prospects for the Premier League giants have only worsened under Thomas Tuchel. He has started just two of Chelsea's last 17 games, completing just 178 out of 1560 available minutes in that time.
Hudson-Odoi started brilliantly under Tuchel in the wing-back position, but his form dropped after a few games and as such he lost his place in the side.
The 20-year-old has not played a single minute in the first three Premier League games this season. Hudson-Odoi was looking to leave on loan in the summer transfer window with Borussia Dortmund interested, but Tuchel blocked the move as he didn't want to weaken his squad.
With the likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic in the squad, it looks like Hudson-Odoi will be scarcely used by Chelsea this season.
#2 Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa Arrizabalaga became the world's most expensive keeper when he joined Chelsea in 2018. He had a decent first season at the club but things went downhill for him in the 2019-20 season. He made a number of costly errors in the Premier League which saw him get replaced by Willy Caballero towards the end of the season.
As such Chelsea bought Edouard Mendy from Rennes last summer and the Senegalese has been Chelsea's first-choice ever since he joined the Blues. He has provided solidity at the back and even managed to keep 16 clean sheets in 31 Premier League games for Chelsea.
Arrizabalaga has now accepted his role as second-choice keeper at the Premier League club. The Spaniard has done well in the few games he has played under Tuchel, even helping the Blues lift the UEFA Super Cup via the penalty shootout. But that has not been enough to push Thomas Tuchel into rethinking his choice for Chelsea's first-choice shot-stopper.
Hence, it is likely that Kepa Arrizabalaga will be restricted to cup games during the season. However, the Spaniard will have a chance to prove himself once more in the Premier League when Mendy leaves for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
#1 Thiago Silva
Signing Thiago Silva for free last summer was an incredible piece of business by Chelsea. Even though he was 35 at the time of joining, the veteran played a key part in Chelsea's top four finish in the Premier League and their Champions League win.
The Brazilian managed to play 34 games for Chelsea last season and was even ahead of the likes of Andreas Christensen in the pecking order. But while he was impressive, a couple of injuries at the business end of the season restricted his playing time. He was even substituted in the Champions League final in the first half due to injury.
Now turning 37 later this month, there's a possibility that Silva's playing time might be more restricted. Christensen has proven formidable in the last few months and has even started all of Chelsea's Premier League games so far this season. Further, the emergence of Trevoh Chalobah has provided a major boost for Chelsea in defense.
As such, Thiago Silva might further fall down the pecking order at Chelsea. Even then, the Blues will be playing in several major competitions and Silva's experience will prove crucial in big games for Chelsea. But given his age, there's no doubt that the Brazilian will be used scarcely by Chelsea this season.
