"It’s a lot of work in a short space of time" - Noel Whelan points out the first thing new owners must do at Chelsea

Two-time Chelsea Player of the Year Pat Nevin believes his former club's new owners will have to tie down key players to new contracts upon their arrival.

The Blues confirmed on May 7 that a consortium led by billionaire Todd Boehly will take over the club, with the sale expected to be completed in late May. The statement marked an end to the ownership saga at Stamford Bridge.

With the larger picture slowly getting clearer, Chelsea will now need to focus on keeping their best players in the squad, which is already proving to be difficult. Antonio Rudiger has reportedly agreed terms with Real Madrid while Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso have been linked with moves to Barcelona.

Nevin, who played for the Blues between 1983 and 1988, believes the new owners will have a massive job on their hands. He told Football Insider:

“There are a lot of things which will need to be ticked off when this new owner comes in. It’s like the Newcastle takeover. There’s a lot of T’s to cross and I’s to dot. It’s a lot of work in a short space of time.”

The former Scotland winger added:

“I think there are a lot of players who need to be tied down. They want to know where their future lies. The uncertainty hasn’t helped them. The likes of Mason Mount will want stability and a long-term future at a club he clearly loves.”

Nevin concluded:

“That can only take place when everything is signed off. They need to concentrate on keeping the main core of players at the club and build on that.”

As things stand, Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante and Jorginho will be out of contract in the summer of 2023. Additionally, Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will become free agents at the end of the 2023-24 season.

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Chelsea will look to finish the season well after string of underwhelming results

Chelsea have struggled in recent weeks, resulting in a poor run of results. They have won just two of their last six matches across all competitions and have looked shaky defensively.

This was best illustrated in their 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League over the weekend. Having led 2-0 entering the final 15 minutes of the match, Thomas Tuchel's side allowed Wolves to score twice, including once deep into injury-time.

They will now focus on finishing the season well. The Blues will travel to Leeds United in the league on May 11 before contesting the FA Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley on May 14. Chelsea will end the season with Premier League encounters against Leicester City and Watford.