Chelsea has depth all over the pitch but perhaps too much on the wings. To insure Callum Hudson-Odoi a future, the Blues must sell one winger this window.
Chelsea will play a lot of matches this season with the Premier League and the Europa League (where it is expected they will make a deep run). Add in the two domestic cups and Chelsea will very quickly be looking at two or three matches a week for most of the season.
That is why depth will be important. But there is such a thing as too much depth. Maurizio Sarri has traditionally not been much of a rotational manager. The most rotation he ever did at Napoli mostly involved swapping bench players for starters and no more. So Chelsea really does not need more than two players for each position that are of good quality.
As things currently stand, Chelsea has five wingers fighting for two starting spots. Four would do just fine given Chelsea’s history with injuries and Sarri’s rotation. So of the five wingers, one should depart. Chelsea has until the end of August to make that happen and they should make that happen.
The primary reason behind doing so should be to push Callum Hudson-Odoi up in the pecking order. His preseason form was good enough to warrant a stay at Chelsea when a loan was very much an option. As such, the Blues should be finding ways to insure he makes the match day 18. Furthermore, because letting a winger go is largely down to giving Hudson-Odoi more chances, he will be one of the “safe” wingers out of the five.
The other safe winger will be Pedro by virtue of his recent contract extension. Pedro was set to depart at the end of the season, but by extending, he has insured himself a spot at Chelsea this year. It is more likely than not that he will be the first choice right wing option so his year is secured.
The remaining three wingers are, with varying degrees, available to be sold. One of Eden Hazard, Victor Moses, or Willian should depart this month.
Of those three, Hazard is the most likely to stay. He is Chelsea’s best attacker and the starting left wing option. If Chelsea was willing to sell him, they most likely would have already. Still, it is hard to discount Real Madrid using the one sided window to come in with an offer the Blues simply cannot refuse. It would have to be astronomical, but the notion is still alive until September starts.
Moses also has a good chance of staying. Yes, he is probably the least talented of the wingers blocking Hudson-Odoi, but that works in his favor. He is homegrown and is unlikely to be too upset to sit on the bench for a year. He is more than a capable deputy on the right so he should stay (and perhaps even prove doubters wrong).
Willian is probably the most expendable. Maurizio Sarri seems to prefer him on the left and that puts him directly in front of Hudson-Odoi. Furthermore, once Hazard returns, Willian will return to the bench. He has spent most of his summer hitting out at Antonio Conte for not playing him enough and is unlikely to settle for that role. Sarri might do well to convince the club to ship Willian out this window before he starts another revolt against the manager.
Regardless, someone has got to make way to give Hudson-Odoi a solid chance at playing time this season. It would be best if it was someone Sarri sees as a left winger, but a right winger will also do. The Englishman has earned his chance and deserves the environment in which to take it.