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Chelsea have one of the best squads in Europe, with consistent heavy investment resulting in the likes of young stars like Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz, as well as established names like Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante playing for the club.
Chelsea's famed academy has also produced first-team members like Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Reece James, and the club has thus been able to create an incredible squad, with the help of the academy as well as strong financial backing from owner Roman Abramovich.
With such a talented squad to work with, there are certain players who are bound to get fewer minutes than they deserve. An abundance of options means that manager Thomas Tuchel always has to make tough decisions. Some players might have to leave in order to flourish.
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5 players who need to leave Chelsea to progress
#5 Michy Batshuayi
A highly-rated striker during his Standard Liege and Marseille days, Michy Batshuayi's career at the top level has not gone according to plan since joining Chelsea.
The Belgium international joined Chelsea from Marseille in 2016 for a fee of £35 million. He was signed as competition for Diego Costa, who was regarded as Chelsea's first-choice striker. But Batshuayi's contributions to Chelsea have been minimal, to say the least.
In 77 appearances across all competitions for the Blues, the striker has scored 25 goals. A lack of playing time has seen him leave the club on loan four times, twice to Crystal Palace and once to Borussia Dortmund and Valencia.
Currently at Crystal Palace, the 27-year old has started only seven Premier League games this season, scoring two goals and providing an assist. It would be good for all parties concerned to cut ties, and for Batshuayi to start fresh.
#4 Emerson Palmieri
Like Michy Batshuayi, Emerson Palmieri was an Antonio Conte signing who has played a bit-part role at Chelsea so far.
Emerson impressed during his Roma spell, but had issues with injuries during that period. Chelsea decided to sign the left-back in 2018 for a fee of £18 million to bolster their defense, with Palmieri's ability to play as a left wing-back seen as ideal.
The Italy international has not been a consistent feature for Chelsea during his four seasons at the club. Emerson has made 70 appearances in all competitions, with the likes of Marcos Alonso and recently Ben Chilwell preferred ahead of him.
The 26-year old has been linked with a return to Serie A for quite some time now. The likes of Juventus and Inter Milan have been touted as possible destinations in the past, and at his age he should be playing football on a more regular basis.
Also Read: 5 best U25 forwards in the world
#3 Jorginho
Another Chelsea player who has been linked with a move away for some time is Jorginho.
An experienced midfielder, Jorginho was regarded as one of the best in his position in Serie A during his spell with Napoli. Under the guidance of manager Maurizio Sarri, the Italy international flourished, dictating play from deep with his excellent passing ability.
Sarri's appointment at Chelsea saw the club sign Jorginho for a fee of £51 million. Questions have been raised over the 29-year old's performances, though. Sarri's departure a season later to Juventus resulted in Jorginho being heavily linked with the Old Lady, although nothing came of it.
The former Hellas Verona man has made 133 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea since his debut in 2018, and he has enjoyed some good moments with the club. However, his potential departure in the summer could see more minutes being given to the talented young Billy Gilmour, while also fetching Chelsea a decent amount.
#2 Tammy Abraham
It has been surprising to see Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel not prefer the talented Tammy Abraham as an attacking option.
Abraham enjoyed a good goalscoring season last time around, and was expected to develop more this season. That has not been the case. The departure of Frank Lampard and the appointment of Tuchel has seen a drastic drop-off in Abraham's minutes, with the England international not even part of many match-day squads.
The striker has made 81 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, scoring 30 goals. A product of the famed Chelsea academy, it will be sad to witness Abraham's potential departure in the summer.
The 23-year old will not be short of suitors if he does leave. Leicester City, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa are all said to be interested, while Manchester United have been linked as well.
#1 Kepa Arrizabalaga
The most expensive goalkeeper in world football does not start for his club; it is not a good situation to be in for both club and the player.
Kepa Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 for a fee of £72 million, as Chelsea sought to replace Thibaut Courtois. The Spain international enjoyed a solid start to his Chelsea career, but his inconsistent performances raised questions as to why Chelsea paid so much for him.
His error-prone performances last season forced Chelsea to sign Edouard Mendy from Rennes last summer for a fee of £21.5 million, relegating Kepa to the bench. Mendy has maintained his status as a starter under Tuchel, with Kepa now clearly a backup option.
Kepa has made 106 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea and it will be interesting to see what Chelsea do with him in the summer. Valencia were said to be keeping an eye on the 26-year old, although those rumors have since died down.
Also Read: 5 players who need to leave Real Madrid to build their careers
