Enzo, Cucurella and Palmer want out - Chelsea are officially in crisis

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 31 Mar 2026 07:59 CDT
• 5 min read

News

There’s no escaping it: Chelsea are in crisis. What started as one player - Enzo Fernandez - expressing his discontent has now spiralled and the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are on the cusp of a monumentally pivotal summer transfer window.

After nearly four years in charge, Clearlake Capital will have to face the music this summer. Their transfer model hasn’t worked and the senior players at the club have finally realised it.

Speaking while on international duty with Marc Cucurella summed it perfectly: “I understand this is part of the club’s policy, and that they want to take this direction - signing young players and looking to the future. But, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this [losing 8-2 to Paris Saint-Germain] make you feel discouraged.

“We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies such as the Premier League or the Champions League, you need more. Signing young players only might complicate achieving those goals. Against PSG, we lacked players that had gone through situations like that.

“You need time as well, and I know the young players are the ones that will have the experience in the future. But you need to find the balance between both worlds.”

The 27-year-old also admitted that it would be "difficult to refuse” if he received an approach from former club Barcelona this summer.

His comments come just days after Enzo Fernandez revealed he would love to live in Madrid amid significant interest from Los Blancos. The Argentina midfielder also sparked rumours of a summer exit by refusing to commit his future to the Blues.

“I don’t know, there are eight games left and then the FA Cup. Then there's the World Cup, and then we’ll see,” Fernandez said after Chelsea’s defeat to PSG in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, widespread reports have suggested that Cole Palmer isn’t happy at Chelsea, with The Sun claiming he is “primed” to leave after becoming “disillusioned” with life at the club. Manchester United are among his suitors.

Chelsea are in crisis

Three of Chelsea’s best players clearly aren’t content with the club’s malaise - and the BlueCo strategy is to blame.

The 2021 Champions League winners have refused to add experience to an immature squad and without proven quality, they will always be one or two years away from glory, especially with their player-trading model.

Football is a short career and players, unsurprisingly, have little patience. The likes of Fernandez and Cucurella can’t afford to wait for Chelsea to eventually build a squad capable of winning major honours, and they are evidently pining to leave.

As a result, the ball is firmly in BlueCo’s court. Will they listen to the complaints of their biggest stars and divert away from their current model? Or will they continue what they believe is best practice for a club wanting to achieve long-term success?

Four years worth of evidence suggests the latter is more likely, and it could lead to player strikes if Fernandez and Cucurella are denied the chance to leave. Such drama could turn toxic and senior players speaking out against the ownership suggests that Chelsea are approaching a point of no return with their current squad.

The Blues still haven’t beaten Arsenal or Manchester City during the BlueCo era, while the closest they have finished to the Premier League winners across the same time period is 15 points.

In February, director Daniel Finkelstein told concerned supporters that “it’s f****** obvious that we’re building one of the best teams in the world.” However, the superstars in Chelsea’s squad clearly don’t agree, and neither do the club’s vocal fanbase on social media.

The ruthless Chelsea of the Roman Abramovich era, who won 19 major trophies in 19 years, is a distant memory and the club’s decision-makers have a mountain to climb to fix their current crisis this summer.

It’s the biggest transfer window since BlueCo’s arrival and they simply have to get things right. If not, Chelsea could crumble.

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