Six Players Chelsea Need to Sell This Summer

Apathy and alienation have defined Chelsea’s 2025–26 season, having seemingly embarked on a promising path during Enzo Maresca’s first year at the helm.

Amid rumblings of behind the scenes frustration, the Italian suddenly departed midway through his second season in charge and is potentially being eyed by Manchester City as a potential Pep Guardiola successor. The Premier League-chasing Cityzens face Chelsea in next month’s FA Cup final, which could offer the Blues solace in an otherwise bitterly disappointing campaign.

The extent of fan discontent has seen protests re-emerge in west London, with BlueCo’s ownership the primary source of attack. There’s been plenty of financial commitment with little reward, and Chelsea supporters are tired of the state of drift.

In a recent interview, co-owner Behdad Eghbali admitted that a change of strategy could be in order, but no matter what course Chelsea take moving forward, some players simply don’t have any business donning the shirt of the five-time Premier League champions anymore.

Here are six players Chelsea should part ways with this summer, excluding those who spent the 2025–26 out on loan—like Nicolas Jackson.

Robert Sánchez

Statistically, Robert Sánchez has had a fine Premier League season. There’s nothing to suggest that the Spaniard is the problem, and should be moved on at the next possible opportunity.

Chelsea do have bigger issues, and Sánchez highlighted his worth in their FA Cup semifinal victory over Leeds United. He has produced runs of form that have convinced some that he may well be the guy for the long haul, including last summer at the Club World Cup. But, surely, we’ve seen enough to suggest that the Spaniard remains upgradeable?

Unforced errors and lapses in possession seem to compromise any upsurges in stability, with the next Sánchez gaffe, no matter how big or costly, never too far away. He’s not a bad goalkeeper and is probably a Premier League starter elsewhere, but Chelsea have lofty ambitions.

If Mike Maignan is on the table again, you go and get him. There’s no point keeping your current No. 1 around in that event. That’s avoidable tension.

Wesley Fofana

Chelsea spent as much as $95 million (£70 million) to bring Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana to Stamford Bridge in 2022, but the French defender is yet to prove himself to be worthy of such a price tag.

Fofana broke through at Saint-Étienne with William Saliba, and an argument could have been made back then as to who the superior French center back talent was. Fofana can be superb, but he’s bereft of Saliba’s unflappable reliability.

Injuries have hindered his time in west London, although he’s been fit for much of 2025–26. However, instead of asserting himself as the leader of Chelsea’s defense, Fofana’s struggled with discipline and is now a more regular facilitator of chaos than calm.

Trevoh Chalobah has outperformed him and could be Levi Colwill’s partner for 2026–27 instead. Depth is required behind those two, but Chelsea should consider offers for Fofana before we start getting into awkward territory regarding his contract. They would be silly to reject a handsome proposal from elsewhere, even if they’ll almost certainly fail to make anywhere near as much as what he was bought for four years ago.

Benoît Badiashile

Another Ligue 1 defensive signed, Benoît Badiashile is seldom a regular starter at Stamford Bridge.

The once-highly regarded ex-Monaco center back failed to earn the trust of Enzo Maresca, with much of his action limited to the Conference League last season. He’s also struggled with injuries, albeit not to the extent that Fofana has, but fitness setbacks haven’t helped Badiashile develop rhythm.

He’s a physical presence and a handy passer out of defense, but a brief upsurge under Liam Rosenior fizzled out, and his career is at a crossroads. Chances are unlikely to be rife with the Blues, so the 25-year-old would be better off seeking a new opportunity.

There’s talent to play with, but things just haven’t worked out at Chelsea. Fortunately, this one wasn’t such a costly mistake.

Alejandro Garnacho

The collection of wingers Chelsea have assorted since BlueCo arrived despite their mammoth outlay is pretty remarkable. The so-so bunch boast a glimmer of hope in Estêvão, but that’s about it. Pedro Neto’s energy and impressive form in the FA Cup doesn’t mean he escapes the realm of mediocrity.

However, at least there’s something to get behind when it comes to Neto. On the contrary, Alejandro Garnacho is a tough player to adore.

There’s youthful exuberance and self belief that can be admired, and Garnacho can look threatening when his team are running away in transition. He excels in space and can impressively craft it for himself with smart off-the-ball runs. However, the Argentine is fundamentally flawed elsewhere and has ultimately struggled to evolve since his initial breakthrough at Manchester United.

His 12 goal contributions in all competitions this season isn’t utterly woeful, even if few have been meaningful. He’s tied down to a seven-year deal after joining for $54 million (£40 million) last summer, but Chelsea can cut their losses after one year. They need gamebreakers out wide.

Perhaps Napoli are still interested? The Saudis could bail them out otherwise.

Marc Guiu

Former Barcelona striker Marc Guiu was supposed to spend 2025–26 on loan at Sunderland, but an emergency situation at Chelsea meant he was recalled before the end of the summer transfer window.

Guiu has now spent a couple of years at Stamford Bridge operating as third-choice center forward. He’s produced very little of note in blue, but Chelsea did merely take a flyer on him in 2024.

Barcelona don’t tend to let go of La Masia graduates if they‘re very good, and don’t think they’ll be expressing regret at selling Guiu for a small fee, even if depth at the striker position has since lacked.

The London life may be sweet, but Guiu, still only 20, must want his career to ignite somewhere. It won’t be at Chelsea.

Liam Delap

With Maresca long gone, there’s a chance Nicolas Jackson re-emerges in west London, given that Bayern Munich won’t be purchasing the striker outright this summer.

We can all agree that the Senegalese center forward is superior to England’s supposed next goalscoring hope, Liam Delap, right?

Delap signed off the back of an impressive first Premier League season with Ipswich Town, but he excelled in a team that relied upon transitions. Chelsea were once a side that thrived on the counter, but BlueCo are possession-oriented. They want managers who attempt to assert control, no matter how sterile the work with the ball is at times.

The Englishman just isn’t suited to that game model. He’s an awkward physical presence who lacks the finesse for a facilitator role as the fulcrum of Chelsea’s attack, similar to João Pedro. Delap is a completely different profile, although some will argue that the club shouldn’t give up on him so soon

There’s scope for improvement under a new manager, of course. However, the early signs suggest that Delap isn’t cut out for the rigors of Stamford Bridge.

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