Revealed: The four players Tuchel is set to axe at Chelsea

19 Jul 2022 10:07 BST
3 min read

Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Chelsea have removed four players from the squad of their pre-season tour of America as the quartet all look set to leave the Premier League side.

Tino Anjorin, Billy Gilmour, Harvey Vale and Armando Broja are the four who have left the squad and it is believed that Chelsea are looking to resolve the futures of their young talents.

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Speaking about the decision, boss Thomas Tuchel said: "I would have loved to have had everybody here because Tino, Harvey and Billy had trained at a very high level and it would also have been nice to see them in some matches.

"But in the end we had to take the decision to keep the quality high in training so we decided for 24 players as a maximum and that’s why we went a bit smaller."

Tuchel though, remained tight-lipped on the future of Broja, claiming the striker returned to London due to a twisted ankle.

Are Chelsea about to lose more youngsters?

While the destinations of Anjorin, Gilmour and Vale are all uncertain, Broja appears to be heading for West Ham and has flown back to London for talks with the Hammers.

Many clubs have enquired to Chelsea about Broja however Tuchel initially included the Albanian in his pre-season squad in order to get a closer look at him following his loan at Southampton last year.

However, it appears that Broja will not get his chance in the first team at Stamford Bridge and West Ham are looking to conclude his signing, either on loan or on a permanent deal for around £30 million.

Gilmour and Vale, meanwhile, are set to remain in the US but will instead link up with Chelsea’s developmental squad in Salt Lake, Utah, while their futures are decided.

Gilmour spent the last season on loan at Norwich and has been linked with a move to Everton, although Chelsea recently exercised an option in his contract to keep the 21-year-old at the club until 2024.

Broja and Colwill want to leave to get regular, guaranteed games and be STARTERS, if players like Ampadu who’s been on several loans still think there’s a pathway at Chelsea then these two should aswell, it’s not always on the manager for every player, so much outside influence.
— Pys (@CFCPys) July 18, 2022

Vale was handed his senior debut by Tuchel in December - and played a key role in England Under-19s winning the Euros this summer. The 18-year-old is admired by the German but could head out on loan this season to gain more first team experience.

Anjorin spent the second half of last season on loan at Huddersfield and the Championship side are in talks to bring the 20-year-old back to the club for another spell.

With highly-rated defender Levi Colwill also looking to leave the club in search of first team football, Chelsea are facing a tough balance between keeping their young stars happy while also ensuring the team remains competitive.