Chelsea are determined not to let players go on the cheap despite facing a race against time to balance the books.
Agents have described Chelsea ’s asking prices as “sky high” even though there is a pressing need to offload players. UEFA have a deadline of June 30 for player sales to be included in the 2022/23 accounts to fall in line with Financial Fair Play rules, although clubs may have different year-in deadlines.
The transfer window does not open until June 14 and there could be a mass exodus from Stamford Bridge this summer but it would seem unlikely that many big deals will be done.
Chelsea’s squad was left bloated after new owner Todd Boehly oversaw a huge £600m spending spree in the last two windows but that also left a raft of unsettled and disaffected players.
Hakim Ziyech is likely to be one of the first out of the door after being left badly disillusioned because a loan move to Paris Saint Germain collapsed on deadline day. Real Madrid are interested in Kai Havertz as a potential replacement for Karim Benzema.
Manchester United want Mason Mount while Mateo Kovacic is an unlikely target for Manchester City and they could be early departures. Brighton are keen to sign Levi Colwill on a permanent basis but Chelsea are reluctant to sell.
Several other players are set to be on their way and the dressing room was badly affected by so many unhappy players towards the end of the season.
In contrast, Conor Gallagher may have cooled on a potential move to Newcastle because he wants to stay and see if he can fight for his Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino who always championed homegrown talent while in charge at Tottenham.
But there is a determination at Chelsea that, despite their huge spending spree pushing the budget boundaries, they will not be bullied into selling on the cheap.
Farewell Xhaka
Granit Xhaka said his goodbyes to staff after Arsenal ’s final game of the season at the Emirates on Sunday.
Arsenal midfielder Xhaka, 30, is set to join Bayer Leverkusen after the Bundesliga club offered him a lengthy contract. The delay in any announcement has led to a few doubts about his departure but clearly he thinks he is going. His departure will pave the way for Arsenal to bolster their squad with Mikel Arteta looking to sign between four and six players.
Interestingly, Arteta is particularly keen on players who can play in more than one position. Declan Rice definitely fits into that category and the West Ham captain favours a move to Arsenal with Bayern Munich apparently fighting a losing battle.
Joao Cancelo and Moises Caicedo are also versatile and are on Arsenal’s wish-list. Arsenal invited a host of former players to Sunday’s game and gave them the VIP treatment. Sol Campbell showed off a personalised programme. And another welcome guest to the post-match party was former Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson.
Replays at risk
The FA Cup final is always a special but this year goes back to tradition with a 3pm kick-off.
However, a change from tradition seems inevitable from the 2024/25 season because of the new-look Champions League format and extra games in the fixture list. That will almost certainly mean the scrapping of third and fourth round replays in the FA Cup to make way for the extra European games.
The teams most impacted will be the smaller clubs hoping for money-spinning replays.
BT's new look
BT Sport will inevitably make changes this summer when the station becomes TNT Sports.
But the rebranding will make it stand out as it must surely be the only channel with a magenta logo.
Off the rails
Train strikes are certain to cause some unwelcome disruption for the FA Cup final because it is a Manchester derby.
But research suggests that less than 7,000 fans would have travelled by train from Manchester and the extra coaches laid on by the clubs and FA will pick up the slack.
