Chelsea have announced the departures of 13 players ahead of the 2023/2024 English Premier League season.
The past 2022/2023 Premier League season was one to forget for the Stamford Bridge club as they failed to live up to expectations.
Despite spending a heavy amount of money on new players, the Blues finished 12th position in the Premier League table and also sacked managers including Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
As Chelsea’s new head coach Mauricio Pochettino assembles his team for the new season, the West London club have confirmed the departures of 13 players.
The yearly released/retained charts were disclosed by the Premier League club on Friday, 16th of June, with Chelsea introducing 13 names in the recent portion including Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Tiemoue Bakayoko has been confirmed as one of the 13 players set to vacate Chelsea at the end of the month.
The 28-year-old moved to the Blues from AS Monaco in 2017, and he played a significant role in the team’s success during his debut season.
Bakayoko played in 43 games for Chelsea during the 2017-2018 season before being sent out on loan for the rest of his time there.
The midfielder played for AC Milan twice, Napoli once, and Monaco for a single season.
Following the exit of Bakayoko, Chelsea issued a club statement which reads: “We thank Tiemoue Bakayoko for his contribution during his season at Stamford Bridge”.
One of the other more prominent names on the club’s released list is goalkeeper Nathan Baxter.
Below is the full list of Chelsea clear-outs:
Tiemoue Bakayoko, Nathan Baxter, Juan Carlos Familia-Castillo, Prince Adegoke, Dujon Sterling, Henry Lawrence, Sam McClelland, Thomas Silko, Bryan Fiabema, Joe Samuel Haigh, Derrick Abu, Jayden Darren George Wareham, Amari Otieno, and Ethan Wady.
This comes as the Blues prepare to sell off many starters to make up for their lavish spending the previous year.
It is widely anticipated that this summer would see the departure of homegrown stars Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Also, Mauricio Pochettino isn’t expected to use Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, or Kepa Arrizabalaga when he takes over as Chelsea manager next season.
Pochettino is already meeting regularly with previous caretaker boss Frank Lampard to help reduce his bloated first-team squad before he even meets with his team in early July to begin pre-season preparations.
N’Golo Kante, a midfielder whose contract is up at the end of the month, was left off the list.
The 32-year-old reportedly received a contract offer from Chelsea.
Kante is rumored to be close to agreeing to a lucrative transfer to the Middle Eastern team Al-Ittihad of the Saudi Professional League.
Meanwhile, according to reports, Chelsea are trying to outbid Arsenal for the services of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Other players besides Caicedo who have been connected to Chelsea include Andre Onana, Lautaro Martinez, and Robert Sanchez.
What’s your take on the 13 players Chelsea announced their exit? Share your thoughts with us below.
