Chelsea boss Graham Potter told to get rid of eight players

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has been urged to let up to eight players leave the club. Rangers and Scotland legend Ally McCoist says the Blues need to massively trim down their first-team squad.

Potter has over 30 players to choose from when everyone is fit. He has too many for a Champions League squad, which saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang omitted for the knockout stages, among others.

Owner Todd Boehly has spent over £600million on new signings in two transfer windows in charge. But that has so far not resulted in an improvement on the pitch.

Chelsea have won just one of their 11 matches in 2023 and are winless in six for the first time in 10 years. Potter has chopped and changed his starting XI most weeks and has been unable to settle on a preferred line-up.

Graham Potter reviews Chelsea's defeat at Spurs

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There is now huge pressure on his position at Stamford Bridge. McCoist believes Potter must omit up to eight players from his squad who he no longer wants and focus on using those he sees having a future at the club.

The Scot said on talkSPORT: “What he’s going to have to do is get his squad down to about 18 or 20 and just work with it. Obviously you need back-up in case of injuries or suspensions, I get all that.

“But the more players you’ve got, the more things going through your head. He’s going to have to sit down, pick what he thinks is his best squad, whether it’s 20, 22 players, and just work with them.

“I’m not sure it’s a decay in the Chelsea squad but I certainly think he needs to get rid of seven, eight players. And he needs to work with his squad moving forward.”

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McCoist noted how Arsenal have had a settled XI this season as they aim to win their first title since 2004. Chelsea, meanwhile, couldn’t be any further from that position.

The pundit added: “He has to know the squad he’s going to work with. He needs to know his best team.

“The top teams very, very seldom change their team. Look at Arsenal this season, for example, you could almost say the starting XI every week if it’s fit.

“It gives them a balance and a sense of everybody doing their job, a continuation if you like. Chelsea have absolutely not got anything like that. We’re talking about a squad of 31 here with no real centre-forward at the moment.”

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