6 Players Chelsea really need to sell 

Chelsea had a very poor 2017/18 Premier League season, ending fifth and not qualifying for the Champions League Final. Winning the FA Cup was the only bright spot of the season and that is often not enough to hold players like Eden Hazard, who want to shine in the Champions League.

Morata did not hit the heights that were expected of him and Barkley and Drinkwater were average. Bakayoko was poor, to say the least.

Chelsea did not get the signings that they wanted and at the same time, they did not give youth a chance. Players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Hudson Odoi and Charly Musonda were sent out on loan, rather than given a chance at Chelsea.

Antonio Conte refused to adapt and stuck to a rigid 3-4-3 and 3-5-2. While losing to Manchester City is understandable, losses to Crystal Palace, Watford, West Ham and Newcastle are unacceptable. Conte constantly criticized the board and that unsurprisingly left the board unhappy. This lead to a toxic situation at the club which, in all, amounted to the club missing out on Champions League football.

Whether it is the Chelsea board, players or manager one wants to blame for this lacklustre season, one thing is for certain and that is the fact that some players do not fit in the Chelsea team anymore.

Let's have a look at 6 players that Chelsea need to sell to stand a better chance to compete for the English Premier League again.

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#1 Gary Cahill

With a plethora of options at centre-back at Chelsea, I believe that Gary Cahill will struggle to find a place in this Chelsea team. With a back-four instead of a back-three and with competition from Christensen, Luiz, Rudiger, Rugani and Ampadu in the ranks, it seems very unlikely that Gary Cahill will find himself in the starting 11 or even on the bench.

Cahill is 32 and has lost a lot of pace over the years. He kept only nine clean sheets in 27 Premier League appearances last season. He was also not able to be the commanding presence that John Terry was as captain for Chelsea. Ageing and not the best ball-playing centre-half in the team (which would be expected of him under Sarri) will render Gary Cahil redundant to Chelsea.

#2 Victor Moses

Victor Moses will struggle to get playing time

With Sarri favouring 4-3-3, Moses loses out his position at right wing back. Willian or Pedro would most likely play as a right winger and Azpilicueta will shift to the right back.

While Moses was successful at the right wing-back, he is not the best right winger and was sent on loan multiple times by Chelsea until Conte deployed him at right wing back. With no right wing back position, he would find it very difficult to dethrone Willian or Pedro for the position at right wing.

He may be a substitute but he would then be holding a younger player down and hence I believe he will be surplus to Chelsea.

#3 Michy Batshuayi

Michy Batshuayi should leave Chelsea

With Morata and Giroud in the ranks, it seems very unlikely that Michy Batshuayi will get a kick of the ball at Chelsea.

Batshuayi has had a terrible time at Chelsea, having featured only 62 times since 2016 and having scored only seven goals. He did not play much during the World Cup too and Dortmund seem keen on buying him.

And, that, I believe, would be a great option for both him and Chelsea. While I do not think that Morata or Giroud is the ideal option for Chelsea, they are certainly a better option than Michy Batshuayi.

#4 Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater has too much competition

With Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Barkley, Jorginho, Fabregas, Kante and even Bakayoko for competition in the Chelsea midfield, Danny Drinkwater will find it tough to get time.

Kante is an assured starter and it is very likely that Jorginho will also start. That would mean only one spot would be left for almost 4 players. Drinkwater did not feature much last season too under Conte and he had voiced his frustrations over lack of playing time last season too.

With arguably better offensive and defensive talent now available at Chelsea, it seems unlikely that Danny Drinkwater will choose to stay at Chelsea.

#5 Kurt Zouma

Kurt Zouma should leave Chelsea

It is unfortunate that a promising young centre-back like Zouma had to suffer from a devastating injury at an important part of his career. Zouma was on his way to first team football under Mourinho and even featured in a Cup final, playing in midfield. But unfortunately, after his injury, he has not been able to regain his position.

He has not been taken on the pre-season tour by Chelsea, which is an indication that he is not going to be extremely involved and hence will most likely be sent on loan or even sold. It would be good for Zouma too as he will get playing time, which is what every young player needs and in Zouma's case, deserves.

#6 Pedro Rodriguez

Pedro Rodriguez is past his prime

Aside from the young upcoming talent at Chelsea (Callum Hudson-Odoi, Charly Musonda, Jeremie Boga), Willian is the only player who Pedro needs to compete with for the spot at right wing.

I am not quite sure if Pedro will leave, but he is thirty and had a terrible 2017-18 season. Pedro had only 4 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League last season.

If Chelsea want to keep hold of Eden Hazard, they need to surround him with supreme offensive talent. While Pedro was a brilliant offensive player once upon a time, he is simply past his prime now. I believe Chelsea need to show some ambition and if that involves selling Pedro for a younger, better player, then so be it.