Most of us want a quiet start to the new year, but that certainly isn't the case for Chelsea. On Thursday morning, it was announced that manager Enzo Maresca had departed by mutual contest, following a major falling out with the club's hierarchy.
So, Todd Boehly and BlueCo begin their search for a new head coach, with Liam Rosenior of Strasbourg, also owned by Clearlake Capital, the current front-runner.
Irrespective of who the manager is, Chelsea tend to be busy in the transfer market. There could well be a few arrivals at Stamford Bridge this month, but this would lead to plenty of departures too. So, here are five players the Blues may well ideally like to offload this month.
These 5 Chelsea players are walking a thin January tightrope
Raheem Sterling
Amazingly, Raheem Sterling is the highest-earned at Chelsea, reportedly pocketing a salary of £325,000-per-week.
Well, from the club's perspective, this money is all disappearing down the drain, with Sterling having been completely frozen out by Maresca. He was not included in either the Premier League or Champions League squad.
Considering the 31-year-old scored just one goal in 1,143 minutes on loan at Arsenal last season, it's probably understandable why. Nevertheless, Sterling currently has no interaction with the first-team, training alone at Cobham and even having lunch with the under-18s. His contact runs until 30 June 2027, meaning, approximately, Sterling will earn another £25.35 million should he wait it out.
Thus, fair to say Chelsea will be desperate to offload although, with Sterling reluctant to leave London, coupled with his anonymous performances at Arsenal, they'll do well to do so.
Axel Disasi
The other member of Chelsea's bomb squad, who did not make a last minute summer move, is Axel Disasi. In comparison to Sterling, his departure appears more likely.
The French international, who joined Chelsea from Monaco for £38.8 million in August 2023, has not played for the club since 20 January against Wolves. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. Upon his return, Disasi was informed he was not in Maresca's plans, so has not even been on the substitutes' bench in this campaign.
Well, unlike Sterling there appears to be concrete interest in the defender. Barcelona, Roma, West Ham, Leeds and others are all reportedly monitoring the situation, so this exit does appear plausible, albeit they're unlikely to recoup very much of the big fee paid.
Facundo Buonanotte
In terms of players who have actually played for Chelsea this season, could Facundo Buonanotte's brief time in West London be cut short?
In one of the more bizarre and inexplainable summer move, the Argentine international joined Chelsea on a season-long loan from Brighton on deadline day, with no option or obligation to buy. Still unsure how this benefits either club or indeed the player himself.
Well, so far, Buonanotte has made just seven appearances for the Blues, totalling 449 minutes, with three of his six starts coming in the EFL Cup, scoring against Lincoln City at Sincil Bank. In the Premier League, his sole outing came at Brentford in September, not even on the bench for nine of the last 11 matches. So, if there is some sort of break clause, he could be on his way back to Sussex.
Jorrel Hato
Another of Chelsea's summer arrivals that has so far made very little impact is Jorrel Hato.
The defender arrived from Ajax for a reported fee of £35.5 million in August, but has so far not lived up to his sky-high reputation. To date, Hato has made just nine appearances, only featuring against Qarabağ and Cardiff since Halloween. It's of course way too early to give up on the 19 year old. Nevertheless, not play much is far from helping his development; a loan to Strasbourg seems likely, doesn't it?
Jamie Gittens
Since BlueCo's takeover, Chelsea have operated more like a player trading platform than a football club, with the changing of the guard in wingers the latest example of this. Noni Madueke was the Blues' third-highest scorer in the Premier League last season, but was flipped to Arsenal, replaced by Jamie Gittens.
While Madueke has shown glimpses of his potential in red and white, most notably in Brugge, Gittens has done little of that in blue. Since joining from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million, the 21 year old has failed to justify this price tag.
Of Gittens' 20 appearances, 12 have come off the bench, accumulating 921 minutes on the pitch, but scoring just one goal, netting at Wolves in the Carabao Cup. Gittens' only Premier League starts since the opening weekend have come against newly-promoted Burnley and Leeds.
Thus, if Chelsea are willing to sell Madueke after what he produced, should they receive a half decent offer for Gittens, he could depart without anyone ever really realising he was ever there.