Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly could cause a backlash by selling Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and more of the club’s homegrown players this summer, says transfer insider Dean Jones.
At the same time, though, Jones isn’t expecting the Blues to get rid of too many of their academy graduates.
Chelsea transfer news — Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi
According to The Telegraph, there are currently doubts surrounding the long-term futures of Gallagher and Loftus-Cheek.
Going forward, there may also not be any room for Hudson-Odoi, who’s currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen.
Following the arrivals of Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke in January, journalist Simon Phillips told GIVEMESPORT that he now expects the winger to leave Stamford Bridge.
Combined, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi have a Transfermarkt valuation of around £73m, with the last of the trio being worth just over £22m, according to the same website.
What has Dean Jones said about Todd Boehly and Chelsea’s homegrown players?
When asked what would happen if Boehly sold the likes of Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi, Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “There would be a backlash if he sold all of the homegrown players, but I just don’t think it will happen because the underlying message is that there’s still going to be a pathway for homegrown players at Chelsea to make it in this team.
“The only way that they can convince the current players of that is to make sure that there are players from Cobham that remain around that first-team squad every single week and I believe that will be the case.”
Who is the most likely to leave Chelsea?
Out of Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi, maybe the England winger.
He was shipped out on loan this season, while Chelsea now look quite stocked in attack after signing Mudryk and Madueke.
If the likes of Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech depart in the summer, perhaps there could be room for Hudson-Odoi in Graham Potter’s squad. However, given that he joined Leverkusen to get more game time, he probably won’t want to come back to Chelsea just to play second fiddle.
Ultimately, having spent so much money in January, Chelsea obviously need to sell some players to balance the books. And while registration rules alone will stop Boehly from getting rid of all of the club’s academy graduates, you would still expect at least a couple of homegrown assets to depart if good offers come in.
