Chelsea are in a difficult moment on the pitch and could now be set to offload one of their players in January after he held discussions with the club over his future, according to reports.
What's the latest news involving Chelsea?
Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has urged his players to mature following their difficult start to the 2023/24, which took another negative turn on Sunday against Aston Villa as Ollie Watkins condemned Chelsea to another defeat following Malo Gusto's red card at Stamford Bridge. Nicolas Jackson will also serve a suspension after picking up five yellow cards for dissent.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Pochettino stated: "We need to grow up as a team, not only in an individual way. A player like Nicolas is so young and is feeling his way into the Premier League and learning. He needs time, and in this type of game we are competing and want to win. But the players, when they are young, need to learn with experience and when they make a mistake."
Football Insider report that despite Chelsea taking just five points from their opening six matches, Argentinian boss Pochettino is under no pressure from the club hierarchy and will be given time to turn their fortunes around. Chelsea see Pochettino as someone who can restore the club back near the top of the pile in English football. However, there is an awareness from all sides that results must improve in the coming weeks.
Next up for Chelsea is a home clash against Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the Carabao Cup and they will be hoping to arrest their slump in form that has yielded no victories since their 2-1 triumph over AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the competition.
Nevertheless, the Blues continue to have a long injury list and will be without Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Marcus Bettinelli, Christopher Nkunku, Trevoh Chalobah, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana for the tie.
Who could leave Chelsea?
Marc Cucurella is believed to have held talks with Chelsea boss Pochettino about his future at the club and is now eyeing a January exit from Stamford Bridge, according to The Sun.
Manchester United were keen to take the Spain international on loan during the summer, though the deal fell through and they instead brought in Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham Hotspur. Cucurella is now weighing up his options and is keen to leave unless his minutes improve in the Premier League.
Since completing a money-spinning £63 million move to Chelsea last summer, Cucurella has struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, making 34 appearances in total for the Blues, registering two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
Compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues across the last 365 days, Cucurella has excelled in the art of successful challenges, making around 3.83 per 90 minutes, putting him in the 99th percentile for this metric, as per FBRef.
Chelsea may need to grant the full-back more license to show his capabilities in SW6 or they run the risk of losing his services when the January window opens.
