da dobrowin： Chelsea announced on their official website on Thursday night that midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah had completed a move to Premier League side Watford on a five-year deal.
da casino： The 22-year-old had just one year remaining on his contract with the Blues and despite the Daily Mail saying the club had offered him a five-year deal worth £60,000-a-week, the England Under-21 international opted to leave Stamford Bridge in search of regular first team football.
The defensive midfielder made just 15 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League champions last season, and he featured for just 159 minutes in the top flight as he struggled to break past the likes of N’Golo Kante, Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas.
The west London outfit have already seen the likes of Natha Ake, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ola Aina and Tammy Abraham leave this summer, and the departure of Chalobah to Watford is unlikely to be the last exit before the start of the new season.
Here are four Chelsea players that could follow Chalobah out of the exit door…
Kurt Zouma
The French centre-back looked to be establishing himself as a first-choice pick in the Chelsea defence during the 2015/16 campaign before he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in February 2016.
The injury kept him on the sidelines for nine months and he didn’t make his first team return until January of this year, when he featured against Peterborough United in the FA Cup.
Zouma made just 13 appearances in all competitions across the rest of the campaign and he unsurprisingly looked rusty, as he struggled to break past the reliable three-man defence of Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and David Luiz that led the Blues to the Premier League title.
Antonio Conte is likely to loan the 22-year-old out for more regular games next season, with Stoke City the favourites to sign him, with his playing time likely to be even more limited following the signing of Antonio Rudiger and the return of Andreas Christensen from a two-season loan spell with Borussia Monchengladbach.
Isaiah Brown
Chelsea have already loaned out the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham and Kasey Palmer this summer, and it would be no surprise if Brown joined them.
The 20-year-old forward signed for the Blues in 2013 from West Bromwich Albion, but he has made just one appearance for them since – spending time out on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town last season.
Having helped the Terriers secure their first ever promotion to the Premier League after scoring five goals in 21 outings in all competitions, he will certainly be interesting a number of clubs in the top flight and the Championship.
Loic Remy
Following impressive spells with Queens Park Rangers and Newcastle United, Chelsea would have had high hopes for Remy when they signed him in 2014.
However, it hasn’t quite worked out for the Frenchman at Stamford Bridge and he was sent out on loan to Crystal Palace last season after scoring 12 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions for the Blues.
However, his time with the Eagles was even more disappointing as he suffered a knee injury early on that limited his first team chances, and he returned to the Premier League champions this summer having failed to score in just eight outings.
Chelsea are likely to sell him for a cut-price fee this summer, but it remains to be seen whether any top flight club will take a punt on the 30-year-old with a return to France probably more likely.
Baba Rahman
Chelsea signed Baba Rahman less than two years ago for a fee that could rise to £22m, but the 23-year-old has struggled to make the impression that the Blues were perhaps expecting when they brought him in.
The Ghana international made 23 appearances in all competitions before being loaned out to Schalke last season, and the left-sided defender looks unlikely to be preferred to Marcos Alonso in Antonio Conte’s side right now.
A permanent move away may suit both the club and the player this summer, but it remains to be seen whether he wants to stay in the Premier League or will look for a fresh start in another European league.
Do you agree, Chelsea fans? Let us know below.