Summer Chelsea exit largely expected for Malouda
Published:Florent Malouda’s season has largely disappointed from October onwards and reports in France are suggesting that this could see him leave Chelsea in the summer.
Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti and Deco were among the players to leave Stamford Bridge last summer as Chelsea attempted to reduce the average age of their squad.
However, there are still some ageing players in the current crop on high wages and it is believed that another similar clearout is expected.
As many as five players could be shown the exit at Chelsea, which would not only drastically cut the wage bill, but would also top up the transfer budget ahead of a raid of the world’s top young talent in the summer.
Malouda is one of the biggest names expected to ply his trade elsewhere from next season after suffering a massive slump in form.
The 30-year-old scored six goals in the opening five Premier League games as Chelsea seemed set to streamroller their way to the title, but their run of miserable results in the following fixtures coincided with Malouda’s struggles.
He has only scored three times in his 26 Premier League games since and has recently had difficulty holding down a starting spot.
Didier Drogba is another name linked with a move away from Chelsea following the January arrival of Fernando Torres, while Ramires’ run in the first team may spell the end for John Obi Mikel.
The other two players who may be on the move at Chelsea are Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov, with the former struggling to displace Branislav Ivanovic after recovering from a knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for a year.
However, these players still have a role to play to ensure that if they are to leave Chelsea, they do so on a high.
Chelsea are 12/1 in the Premier League odds, although they are 11 points behind Manchester United with a game in hand.
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