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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Nizaar Kinsella

How Chelsea must overhaul squad: Kai Havertz sold, N’Golo Kante gone and Denis Zakaria signs

Graham Potter retains the support of Chelsea's new owners, despite an alarming run of results.

Co-owner Todd Boehly views Potter as the man to handle this period of transition, but Chelsea are facing a huge overhaul of their squad.

Here, Standard Sport assesses which players they should keep, offload or might be stuck with.

Edouard Mendy: exceptional for two seasons, but mistakes have now crept into his game and Chelsea could cash in. SELL

Kepa Arrizabalaga: Potter has given him a chance and his £190k-a-week wages make him hard to shift. KEEP

Marcus Bettinelli: a good third-choice goalkeeper option and is known to be good behind the scenes. KEEP

Gabriel Slonina: the teenage American summer signing will need multiple loans before becoming No1. LOAN

Kepa has taken Edouard Mendy’s starting spot (AFP via Getty Images)

Benoit Badiashile: the £33m defender has only just arrived and will need time to adapt to English football. KEEP

Kalidou Koulibaly: arrived to much fanfare but has struggled badly since joining so Chelsea should sell if a buyer will take him. SELL/LOAN

Thiago Silva: despite his age, is Chelsea’s best player in his position. Worth a deal extension with a succession plan in place. KEEP

Levi Colwill (on loan at Brighton): is the best teenage centre-back in England and a future star. KEEP

Trevoh Chalobah: usually plays well when given the chance and is growing into a good central defender. KEEP

Wesley Fofana: has not done himself justice since joining for £75m, but has the potential to become a top defender. KEEP

Bashir Humphreys: faces too much competition to make it at Chelsea and should attract buyers. SELL

Kalidou Koulibaly has been poor since joining. (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Cesar Azpilicueta: the captain and a club legend but is losing his pace. Should have joined Barcelona last year. SELL

Reece James: when fit, still Chelsea's best player. Signed a six-year contract last year, so his future is secure. KEEP

Marc Cucurella: was overpriced at £60m and underperforming, but hard to sell and young enough to improve. KEEP

Ben Chilwell: injuries have derailed career, but if he can recover well he can become a key player again. KEEP

Ian Maatsen (on loan at Burnley): shining in the Championship and may get a Premier League loan. LOAN

Malang Sarr (on loan at Monaco): the French club have the option to buy him at the end of his loan, and Chelsea should sanction his exit. SELL

N’Golo Kante: one of the world’s best, but has succumbed to injuries in the past 18 months and his contract expires in the summer. RELEASE

Jorginho: unpopular with the fans, no longer an automatic midfield starter and out of contract soon. RELEASE

Jorginho has lost his place this season. (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Mateo Kovacic: a fine midfielder on his day and increasingly a leader behind the scenes. KEEP

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: a reliable back-up option, versatile and with the potential to improve. KEEP

Conor Gallagher: has not been good enough technically but may command a good transfer fee to reinvest. SELL

Denis Zakaria: the midfielder has barely put a foot wrong since arriving on loan, and is worth his £27m release clause. KEEP

Carney Chukwuemeka: £20m buy feels like the smartest bit of business done so far by the new owners. KEEP

Mason Mount: Two-time player of the year deserves a new deal despite his inconsistency this season. KEEP

Lewis Hall: Breakthrough star feels he could circumvent the loan system and make an impact now. KEEP

Kai Havertz: Scorer of some big goals in Chelsea history, but is not consistent and a saleable asset. SELL

Callum Hudson-Odoi is currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen (Getty Images)

Christian Pulisic: Never does enough to be a regular, is unhappy and his contract is up in 2024. SELL

Callum Hudson-Odoi (on loan at Leverkusen): Chelsea are more likely to buy talent than give him a go. SELL

Hakim Ziyech: It might just be his natural body language, but he often looks uninterested. SELL

Raheem Sterling: £50m summer signing's form has dipped after a good start, but he will come good. KEEP

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Hasn’t adapted to Potter and doesn’t look to have a future under him. SELL

Armando Broja: Young forward can grow into a top player once he recovers from his knee injury. KEEP

David Datro Fofana: January signing from Molde may get a chance, but needs a loan first. KEEP

Romelu Lukaku (on loan at Inter): £97.5m record signing is set for another Inter loan. SELL/LOAN

Omari Hutchinson: summer buy from Arsenal needs a loan before he can be a first-team option. LOAN

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