Werner, Pulisic and the Chelsea players they now can’t sell following Abramovich sanctions

FT Desk

• 11 Mar 2022 10:00 GMT
• 4 min read

While Chelsea remain stuck in the very immediate consequences of their owner Roman Abramovich being hit by sanctions by the United Kingdom government, there may be even larger problems for the club on the horizon.

As part of the sanctions levelled at the club, Chelsea have also been banned from selling or trading players as a means of making income.

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As such, unless the sanctions are lifted before the end of the season, the Stamford Bridge side may be in the unfortunate position of not being able to buy or sell players in the summer transfer market.

And that, rather awkwardly, could mean a number of squad players that had been looking forward to leaving the club may be stuck for a further season.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

While many Chelsea fans would love to keep Kepa Arrizabalaga at the club as potentially the most overly talented back-up keeper in European football, there’s no doubt that the Spaniard was planning on leaving Stamford Bridge this summer to pick up game time elsewhere.

The shot-stopper remains a highly valued player due to his young age and Chelsea were hoping to demand as much as £72 million for Kepa this summer, but it now seems more likely that the Spaniard will remain on Chelsea’s bench next season.

Marcos Alonso

Another squad player that looked destined for the exit this summer is full-back Marcos Alonso, who remains a useful back-up for Tuchel but remains a notable step down from Ben Chilwell in the left wing-back role.

The Stamford Bridge side have been linked with younger full-backs lately and would have presumably moved Alonso on to bring in an understudy to the England international, if they were allowed to buy or sell players.

Ross Barkley

There’s no doubt that as soon as the summer transfer window opened, one of the first players out the door at Chelsea would have undoubtedly been Ross Barkley.

Although the former England international has had some bright sparks at the club in recent seasons, he’s struggled to live up to the hype since moving from Everton in 2018 and was in desperate need of a fresh start this year. Unfortunately for Barkley, that now looks unlikely.

Christian Pulisic

One player that hasn’t been heavily linked with a departure from Chelsea but could have still found himself leaving the club was none other than Christian Pulisic.

There’s no doubt that when fit the former Borussia Dortmund star is one of Chelsea’s most talented forwards, but the problem remains that Tuchel nor his backroom staff can effectively rely on the USMNT player to be available for an entire season.

With Kai Havertz going from strength to strength at the club and the reemergence of Hakim Ziyech, Pulisic may have found his head on the chopping board this summer prior to Chelsea’s transfer ban.

Timo Werner

While Timo Werner remains a regular starter under Tuchel, this season has once again proved that the Germany international can’t be relied upon to be the club’s talisman. With reported interest from Dortmund and other Premier League sides, Chelsea would have happily cashed in on the forward if they had received a decent offer in the summer.