Chelsea: Everything that needs doing before the window closes

Chelsea's German head coach Thomas Tuchel reacts during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on May 12, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by CATHERINE IVILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Ross Barkley of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during the Carabao Cup third round match between Chelsea and Barnsley at Stamford Bridge on September 23, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around United Kingdom remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alastair Grant – Pool/Getty Images) /

3. As much as possible, move players on

There are several players that were on loan last season, got a look this preseason, and still remain despite not having a realistic chance of making the Chelsea team now or in the future. Keep in mind, the market is very one sided at the moment and it’s incredibly difficult to sell players to certain clubs who have not bounced back from Covid yet. That is part of why Chelsea has done so many loans and why many of these players that should be sold will likely end up on loan. Still, a loan is better for them and Chelsea than having them stick around with the academy for a few months.

This group includes, and is not limited to, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater, Lewis Baker, and Malang Sarr. Bakayoko does seem set for another loan, but as of writing this has not yet happened. Barkley, meanwhile, could yet fill a role for Chelsea in some capacity but it seems rather clear that his competition will be too steep to make that realistic. At his age and with his talents, it is best he move on if possible.

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The duo of Drinkwater and Baker both need to be moved on for different reasons. Drinkwater was, simply put, a transfer mistake the Blues have been unable to escape. There is no market for a player like him and it very much looks like he’ll be running his contract down at this point. Baker, an academy graduate, never quite kicked off to the level required by Chelsea. He’s been on loan several times now and at this point the kinder thing to do would be to find him a more permanent club.

Sarr is the trickiest situation. Signed by Chelsea last summer, he had a very mixed experience at Porto. Furthermore, he had remained a free agent for some time before Chelsea signed him last summer. He’s likely to go on loan again, but there is just enough of an asterisk for a transfer to not be out of the question.

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