Chelsea set for CRISIS unless Maresca demands selling spree

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 18 Jul 2024 05:12 CDT
• 4 min read

Chelsea have offloaded five first-team stars so far this summer, but Enzo Maresca’s squad remains far too big.

The Blues have been the most active club in the transfer market since Todd Boehly’s arrival in 2022 and this has resulted in an over-inflated first-team squad.

Five new players have already arrived in 2024 and Chelsea’s summer spending shows no signs of slowing down.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024 - All the Done Deals

They are banking on potential by signing some of the best youngsters in world football, but Chelsea need to offload players soon, otherwise Maresca will face an almighty challenge during the club’s pre-season tour of the USA.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Malang Sarr and Armando Broja appear to have no future at Stamford Bridge, but their wages remain on the books and while Chelsea have trimmed down their salary structure, this is a huge issue.

Finances don’t appear to be a burden for the west London club, however Maresca will surely be hoping to trim down his squad ahead of the new campaign.

READ MORE: The HUGE list of wonderkids Chelsea have signed under Todd Boehly

In total, Chelsea have 41 first-team players currently on their books.

A selling spree is therefore needed.

Chelsea’s current first-team squad

Furthermore, Chelsea’s summer business hasn’t finished. Aaron Anselmino and Caleb Wiley are set to arrive from Boca Juniors and Atlanta United respectively, and while the former will remain in Argentina until January and the latter is set to be loaned to Strasbourg, they will be added to Chelsea’s growing list of players.

A new winger and a new striker are also being targeted as Chelsea continue their obsession of signing new stars.

In addition, the Blues also have numerous academy stars who could break into the first-team, including Tyrique George, Josh Acheampong and Kiano Dyer, all of whom have been involved in senior pre-season training.

Simply put, Chelsea need to go on an offloading spree before they sign any more players.

It isn’t sustainable to have 41 senior players at one club and Maresca’s job will be simply impossible unless that happens.

Although Chelsea could play up to 80 games next season, due to their participation at the 2025 Club World Cup, the Blues have far too many players and trimming down their squad is a necessity.