Zouma & the five players who could still leave Chelsea this summer

Cameron Smith

Updated: 23 May 2023 08:54 CDT
4 min read

Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma — © ProShots

To say Chelsea have a bloated squad would be the understatement of the century. Thomas Tuchel reported that once his stars had returned from the Euros and the Copa America, he had at least 42 players at Cobham, and that's obviously excluding anyone who had already departed.

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Since then, the likes of Armando Broja (loan), and Tammy Abraham (permanent) have left the club, but there are still a plethora of players available to Tuchel.

Some will stay, some will be loaned out, while some might still be sold.

Players like Danny Drinkwater and Baba Rahman have proved almost impossible to shift, and may end up out on loan again, while Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could well be handed a place in the senior squad for the season.

However, with so many options, Tuchel may need to sell, especially if he wants to keep the mood around the camp happy; but who could still leave this summer?

Kurt Zouma

Arguably the most high-profile name on this list, Kurt Zouma could yet leave Stamford Bridge this window. After suffering that horrendous knee injury against Manchester United in 2016, Zouma has built himself back up, and was crucial under Frank Lampard.

However, with Tuchel opting for a back three, he's reintroduced Antonio Rudiger, and Zouma has been demoted. Andreas Christensen has also impressed, while Chalobah's early season form could force Zouma out the door. Chelsea's pursuit of Jules Kounde could be dependent on Chalobah, but it definitely pivots around whether they can offload Zouma. If they can't, then Kounde certainly won't join this summer.

West Ham have expressed an interest, and are reportedly "determined" to land Zouma, although his wages could prove a stumbling block. The player also has to agree to the move.

Emerson Palmieri

A European Championship winner with Italy, Emerson certainly isn't first choice for Chelsea, and thanks to him and Ben Chilwell arriving late to pre-season, Marcos Alonso has started the campaign.

Chelsea were looking to offload Emerson anyway, and Lyon are said to be in talks about a deal.

He joined the club from Roma in 2018, but has never fully established himself as a nailed on starter, and with Chilwell costing so much, the Englishman is now very much Tuchel's preferred option.

That means Emerson could look to pastures new, and Lyon is the most likely destination. Napoli are also linked.

Marcos Alonso

It's worth pointing out that Marcos Alonso will only leave if Emerson stays, which isn't looking likely.

However, if circumstances change, then Alonso could depart. Chelsea want to get rid of one of the pair, and if a bid comes in for Alonso, they'll have a decision to make.

The free-kick specialist, of course, scored against Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener, and is the Premier League's highest scoring defender since he joined Chelsea. He suits Tuchel's wing-back system, hence why a move away now seems increasingly unlikely.

Davide Zappacosta

Just like his compatriot and fellow full-back Emerson, Davide Zappacosta could leave Chelsea this month.

Several Italian clubs are interested, and with Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta and Callum Hudson-Odoi capable of playing at right wing-back, Zappacosta isn't needed as back-up.

Therefore, it seems a matter of when, not if, he leaves Stamford Bridge. He impressed on loan at Genoa, and a return to his homeland seems inevitable.

Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley hasn't been substantially linked with a move away from Chelsea, but he's been left without a shirt number at the club for 2021/22, so he'll surely leave.

Mateo Kovacic has taken his number eight shirt, with Barkley omitted from Chelsea's list of squad numbers. Newcastle were linked before signing Joe Willock on a permanent deal, while Aston Villa had been rumoured, but moved for targets elsewhere.

Therefore, it's hard to see where Barkley goes, but with no future at Chelsea, he needs to move this summer, or his career will continue stalling.

The same goes for Michy Batshuayi, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kenedy, who will all almost certainly be shipped away on loan this summer. Batshuayi is on the verge of a season-long loan to Besiktas.