Chelsea: Other than everyone, which players truly must leave this summer?

Should they stay or should they go? Chelsea is in shambles and it’s time to weed out the problems.

Throughout one of the worst calendar months in recent Chelsea history, ChelsTwit has been out in full force calling for the head of… well, everybody. But between the #SarriOut’s, the angry rants and Sarriball truthers, a common theme has developed amongst those discussing the current Chelsea side: blaming the players. Anybody with half a brain or anyone who has watched Chelsea since 2015 knows it’s true – the players are a large part of the problem. However, few go beyond “the players” to talk about which specific individuals are the problem.

Knowing who to blame still doesn’t fix the toxic atmosphere that is dragging Chelsea down by the minute. While a full reboot sounds fantastic, it’s never going to happen. Chelsea has a solid core and promising future. But for the club to begin moving in the right direction again, they need at least a mass exodus.

Focusing first on the attack, the wings need a complete overhaul. Willian offers very little anymore other than squad depth. His best years are behind him, he’s clashed with managers and has not played up to Chelsea standards since Antonio Conte’s first season in charge.

Pedro is too inconsistent nowadays and will be turning 32 in the summer. With Christian Pulisic joining the club this summer, Chelsea have already replaced both Willian and Pedro. The only thing left to do is cash in on them.

Eden Hazard also needs to leave come June. He’s a proper Chelsea legend and one of the world’s best, but he disappears altogether in tough strings of matches and has feuded with multiple managers. His flirtation with Real Madrid has taken over the rumor mill this season. Chelsea would benefit greatly from allowing Hazard to pursue his dreams in Madrid and cash in on the winger, whether that be in the form of money or a player like Isco.

At striker, either Olivier Giroud or Gonzalo Higuain has to go. Tammy Abraham is taking the Championship by storm and he needs his chance in the Chelsea first team. Giroud and Higuain are not getting any younger, but Chelsea would be smart to keep one of those great goalscoring minds around to aid Abraham in his development.

Chelsea have struggled to replace Diego Costa and it’s unlikely the club waits another year. Either they bring in a world-class striker this summer or they clear the road for Abraham.

In the midfield, the club must admit the Ross Barkley experiment was a failure. A shell of his former self, Barkley has struggled immensely at Chelsea. A low-risk, high-reward purchase, Barkley simply isn’t good enough for the Blues. With players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount waiting in the wings, it’s hard to see Barkley having any place at Chelsea FC.

Another obvious candidate for departure is Danny Drinkwater. A baffling signing, Drinkwater is likely the most irrelevant player in the first-team aside from Rob Green and an injured Marco van Ginkel. At 28, he’s still got some quality football left in him – like Ross Barkley – just not at Stamford Bridge.

If Maurizio Sarri leaves, Jorginho needs to go as well. He’s a player Sarri had to have, but he’s adjusted to the Premier League just as well as Tiemoue Bakayoko did last season. Jorginho has looked outmatched in nearly every big fixture since November and he offers little to Chelsea in or out of Sarri’s system.

Finally, the defense. Just to get the two obvious names out of the way, Davide Zappacosta and Gary Cahill need to leave in the summer. Zappacosta was a puzzling signing who will be remembered for his stunning goal against Qarabag (intentional or not) and that’s it. Cahill is another club legend who has overstayed his welcome and can better serve a lower-table side.

David Luiz falls under the same general category as Cahill. Luiz still has a lot of good football left in him, but he’s too inconsistent. He has a unique personality that can be either a great thing for the side or detrimental to the changing room.

If Maurizio Sarri remains in charge at Chelsea, Marcos Alonso needs to go. Alonso struggles immensely at left back in a back-four. He’s one of the world’s best left wing-backs, but in a 4-3-3 he does not meet Chelsea standards.

However, does Emerson meet those standards? Emerson’s last few years have been a giant bucket of “what if’s” and making little of his chances. Unless he proves he deserves to start for the Blues, Emerson’s time is up, as well.

While it’s impossible to identify the exact root of the problem without being in the locker room, it’s not difficult to see who the problem group is. This summer is going to be one of the most important in the history of Chelsea Football Club. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. It’s time for a leader to emerge and the toxic personalities to depart.

If not, things are only going to continue trending downwards, which could have an impact spanning the next decade.