CONFIRMED: Who Chelsea will sell in January

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 20 Dec 2024 00:54 CST
• 3 min read

Enzo Maresca has made a flying start as Chelsea manager, with the Blues’ excellent form under the former Leicester boss continuing as they beat Shamrock Rovers 5-1 in the Conference League on Thursday.

Chelsea are also in the race for the Premier League title – even if they refuse to admit it – as they have installed themselves second in the table, two points behind Liverpool with a game more played.

But Maresca also knows that his squad will change during the January transfer window, with the Italian admitting that several players are likely to depart Stamford Bridge in that time, including potentially Christopher Nkunku.

Speaking after the Shamrock Rovers victory, in which summer arrival Marc Guiu caught the eye by scoring a hat-trick, the manager revealed which Chelsea players will be departing during that period.

“We don't want to sell players in January… but probably players that are not playing a lot, they might be unhappy and want to leave,” he told TNT Sport. “Then we’ll see what happens.”

Who will leave Chelsea?

Maresca might be keeping his cards close to his chest with the specific identities of players who want to depart in January, but he has at least indicated that everyone playing regularly in his first team is happy with their role.

His words will cast further doubt onto the future of Nkunku, who has struggled to find regular first-team football due to injury since arriving from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023. Finally fit again, he finds his place in the starting XI blocked and has been restricted to a handful of minutes in the Premier League.

Current ETV

Christopher Nkunku

AM, F, M (C)

Chelsea

Christopher Nkunku

AM, F, M (C)

Chelsea

€28.9M

ETV Range

€21.7M - €36.2M

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Centre-back duo Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi are also likely to find their futures called into question, while the same can be said of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has played only 55 Premier League minutes after following Maresca from Leicester in the summer.

Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka and Ben Chilwell, who is not even in the Blues’ Premier League squad, are also liable to be put on the transfer market.

Maresca’s broad sweep of unhappy players could, therefore, refer to numerous Chelsea players.