Chelsea are yet another English side suffering from the "second-season syndrome" in 2018.
Having lifted the Premier League trophy under newly-appointed manager Antonio Conte during the 2016/17 campaign, the Blues are set to battle it out with rivals for a UEFA Champions League spot this term.
What Stamford Bridge has witnessed so far this season can genuinely be described as inconsistent and equally frustrating, to say the least. They've lost the spark with which they were tearing teams apart last season and under Conte's guidance, the team have seemingly fallen apart despite their prior success.
The players have been the subject of criticism recently too, which is justified. Having been humiliated by sides including Bournemouth and Watford, who beat the reigning champions with a three-goal margin apiece, it's fair to say that they have been under an increasing amount of scrutiny for their collective performances.
One could easily sense the squad's impending revamp, which may take place later on this year after this current campaign is complete. Having said that, here we take a look at five players who could potentially depart the club during the summer months.
#5 Gary Cahill
Chelsea's backline last season appeared to be solid and equally robust, with Gary Cahill playing at the heart of it. Since the start of this term though, the centre-back's weaknesses have been exposed with an increasing level of regularity.
No longer does the 32-year-old have the pace to contend with the blistering young wingers across the league. Despite making 20 league appearances under Conte in 2017/18, there are calls by many for the Italian to drop his captain - whose level of consistency remains a concern.
Also read: Everything wrong that has happened for Chelsea so far this season
His current contract is set to expire during the summer of 2019, meaning he has just over a year left on his existing deal with the west Londoners. However, it's increasingly unlikely that he'd be offered a renewal especially as the Blues have defensive prospects coming through the senior ranks - so it's not hard to see why they'd be content letting him leave for a transfer fee in a couple of months instead of agreeing terms on a pre-contract.
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