3 Players Who Can Benefit From Leaving Chelsea As Soon As January

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Ever since Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea in June 2003, Chelsea has gone from being just another team from southwest London to becoming one of the absolute best football teams in not just the Premier League but the world. In all honesty, it’s hard to remember a time where Chelsea wasn’t taken as a Premier League odds favorite, especially with how dominant most of their performances in domestic and international competitions have been. 

The thing with a team like Chelsea FC is that, with so many triumphs and a checking account constantly open for signing many of the world’s top football stars, sometimes there are players that after joining Chelsea, or making the senior team, end up getting lost in translation. Be it because of the top-level competitive nature that the team holds its players to or the fact that a team like the “Blues” are always looking to snag up the latest superstar around, for some Chelsea players, sometimes leaving London usually ends up working out for the best.

With this in mind, we bring you our picks for three Chelsea FC players who could seriously benefit from leaving the team even as soon as January.

Hakim Ziyech

It wasn’t long ago that Hakim Ziyech jumped into the spotlight of European football greatness while being a pivotal part of that amazing Ajax team that made it to the UEFA Champions League Semifinals, only to be knocked out by Tottenham in one of the most heartbreaking ways. After joining Chelsea at the beginning of the 2020-2021 season, everything seemed to be going splendid for the Moroccan international, with his talents and technical prowesses as two of his main presentation cards to prove why he deserved to be joining the London giants. Sadly, it seems more and more visible that Ziyech might have bitten more than he could chew after leaving Ajax.

Even after winning the Champions League trophy with Chelsea last season, Ziyech does not look at all like he’s the player that Chelsea expected him to be. Even after Thomas Tuchel trusted him with taking over Christian Pulisic’s spot on the starting team because of the American player suffering from an injury, Ziyech has not managed to bring his playing up to par with the rest of the team, leading to an early January exit, even if on loan, to be in his foreseeable future. AC Milan has been linked to the player for a loan that could end up becoming a permanent transfer when the summer transfer window comes up next year. Maybe moving to a league that focuses more on creativity and less on competitiveness might just be what the Moroccan star needs to shine once again, even if it’s away from London.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was once called by former Chelsea legend, and now Real Madrid player, Eden Hazard as “the future of Chelsea”. His talents are undeniable and what he can bring to Chelsea’s or any other team’s attacking core, all while still at a young age is undeniable. Hudon-Odoi, who came out of Chelsea’s famed Cobham Academy, has been attracting very powerful suitors ever since 2019 when Bayern Munich came knocking on his door to inquire about a potential move to Germany. While Chelsea was quick to act, signing Odoi to a much better and lucrative deal than the one he already had, this hasn’t necessarily meant more playing time for the English star. 

While Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel has at moments shown certain resistance to giving Hudson-Odoi more time on the field with the senior team, every time the forward plays for Chelsea, he shows why he should not be taken lightly whatsoever, putting Tuchel in a very difficult situation, especially with how many attackers the team already has. If Hudson-Odoi does not end up receiving the recognition he deserves, a move out of Chelsea, like how Tammy Abraham pulled off might be coming soon, especially since Bayern Munich has not forgotten about him.

Saul Ñiguez

It was to everyone’s understanding that when Chelsea managed to get former Atletico de Madrid star Saul Ñiguez on a season-loan deal, that they had hit the jackpot. Niguez, who for years was considered a mainstay and one of the most important players in Atletico de Madrid’s midfield alongside Koke, has not been able to fully showcase his whole set of talents with Thomas Tuchel’s team. While as of lately his playing has seen some improvement, it feels like his move to Chelsea was not necessarily what neither one of the parties involved in the deal was expecting.

To add to the Ñiguez conundrum is the fact that Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a homegrown talent just like Hudson-Odoi, and a fan favorite has started playing some of the best football in his career at Chelsea, leaving Ñiguez on the losing side of this race to become a main fix in Chelsea’s midfield. While seeing Ñiguez leave in January might be a bit of a stretch, a departure of his over the summer would not necessarily be surprising.