"Mind boggling that they have got that many players" - Pundit wants Chelsea to get rid of 25 players next season

Former West Ham striker-turned-football pundit Frank McAvennie has made a startling claim that Chelsea should part ways with as many as 25 players this summer.

In an exclusive interview with Football Insider, McAvennie expressed his astonishment at the sheer number of players at the London club.

Since the Todd Boehly-led takeover at Stamford Bridge, the club's spending has skyrocketed, with more than £500 million shelled out for 13 new recruits. This influx of talent has led to an overcrowded squad, a situation that even Chelsea's own players are beginning to acknowledge.

Thiago Silva, one of the team's key members, recently admitted to Sky Sports that the current size of the squad is an "issue," revealing:

"We even had to extend the dressing room as it wasn't big enough for all the players. A positive is that we've got great players in the squad. On the flipside, someone is always going to be annoyed or feel down because not everyone can play. The coach can only pick 11 players yet there are 30-odd here. That's an issue, isn't it?"

According to McAvennie, it's time for Chelsea to trim down their bloated squad. Speaking to Football Insider, he argued:

"There is about 50 players in the changing room, they had to make it bigger it is just mental. I think the first thing they have to do is get that down to 25 or 30. It is mind boggling that they have got that many players."

"I can’t believe that there is that many players wanting to sit about and just take the money. There are that many players at the Chelsea team quite happy to take the money."

He concluded:

“If you are not getting a game move somewhere that you are. It must be horrible to train all week knowing that you are not playing at the weekend. I do not know how the modern day player can just accept that, it would not have been me.“

Chelsea are currently amidst one of their worst seasons in recent years. The west London club are languishing in 12th place in the Premier League standings and have lost all five games under interim manager Frank Lampard.

---

Massive shakeup at Chelsea potentially looms

According to a recent report by The Athletic (via Daily Mail), the Blues are preparing to bid farewell to a host of players at the end of the season. They are set to embark on a significant overhaul as they look to fine-tune their squad and focus on team cohesion.

One potential departure is N'Golo Kante. The French midfielder's contract is due to expire in the summer, putting him at risk of leaving on a free transfer.

Several other high-profile names are rumored to be in danger of being put on the market, including Mateo Kovacic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Mason Mount.

As the summer transfer window approaches, fans and pundits alike will be watching closely to see how Chelsea's ambitious roster revamp unfolds.