The Premier League announced Chelsea’s released and retained lists on Friday with a different approach by the Blues hinted at ahead of a very busy transfer period ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival
Lewis Hall of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Newcastle United (Image: Visionhaus)
It’s set to be a busy summer and the announcement of Chelsea’s retained and released lists has already hinted at some of the big decisions that lie in wait for the Blues. In 2022/23, the club once again entered a season with too many players in the final years of their contract, including players like N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Thiago Silva.
However, with a transition to tackle, the new ownership has yet to get on top of their contract issues, to ensure players are not lost for small fees. The likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi will all see their deals end in 2024 as things stand.
It is the intention of the club to be more decisive in squad building. The Blues have already shown a tendency to offer long-term deals to players such as Reece James and their new signings, with the additional bonus of amortising transfer fees, but the club’s hierarchy do not want to see players often reach the final two years of their deal either.
At that point the intention is to renew their deal or to move on via transfer – a situation that is likely to play out with Kai Havertz in the coming months given Arsenal’s interest in the player.
There are no shortage of players who, like Havertz, have contracts until 2025. The Blues are keen to tie down Levi Colwill, are targeting another goalkeeper with Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga entering their final two years, and there is an expectation that Conor Gallagher departs this summer.
We understand that Lewis Hall has already seen a clause in his contract triggered to extend his deal by a further year until 2026. The Blues have a big decision to make on the 18-year-old’s next step after his run in the team at the end of the season. Compared to Chelsea’s new ethos, that remains a short term solution to strengthen the club’s position and a longer contract will be required to dissuade any interested parties.
The departure of Tiemoue Bakayoko, who still had one year remaining on his contract, following two years on loan with AC Milan indicates a wish to not waste time moving forwards. The Blues invested £40million in the midfielder but have only been able to find him loan options in previous seasons.
That seems to extend to the academy too. football.london understands there was an option to extend the deals of a number of players who have been let go.
The west London side will still offer their players an opportunity to impress while with the club and on loan but hope to get out of the cycle of continuously loaning players out until the end of their contracts. A pivotal point when adding an array of young talent from elsewhere in the likes of Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka, Andrey Santos and Omari Hutchinson and investing in future additions such as Kendry Paez.
With a bulging squad and the challenge to trim the fat for Mauricio Pochettino, it remains to be seen how committed Chelsea are to their philosophy. The intention to resolve issues quickly seems clear for the moment, however.
Soucre: football.london
