Chelsea exodus? Multiple players pushing for summer exit after nightmare season as pay cuts loom

• Players disillusioned at Chelsea
• Several players wish to leave
• With many at risk of pay cuts

WHAT HAPPENED? The struggles continue at Chelsea, with on-field performances not picking up and their search for a new permanent manager proving difficult. Adding to the concern is a new report from The Athletic, which claims that several squad members want to leave the club, and not all of those wishing to leave fall into the '12 months left on their contract' bracket.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: According to The Athletic, some players at Chelsea are beginning to express regret at signing such long-term contracts, with some newer signings disillusioned with life at the club so far. While that is somewhat natural and there is still plenty of time for that to change, players who have signed deals under the new ownership are facing a 30% wage cut for not finishing in the Champions League positions this season.

The reality of that is beginning to hit home, although members of the squad who signed deals before Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali took over - and both Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling - would be exempt from the wage decrease.

AND WHAT'S MORE: An influx of new players over the last two transfer windows has not yielded the success many predicted for the Blues. Graham Potter lost his job as manager earlier in April as he struggled to get to grips with such a bloated and expensively-assembled squad, while Frank Lampard has not put full trust in those newer players and is yet to win a game since returning to the club on interim basis.

The owners are desperately seeking a solution to their managerial situation, with a decision set to be made by the end of Saturday regarding making a formal offer to former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, following several rounds of talks.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? A clearout of the squad is expected this summer, with even fan favourite Mason Mount's future up in the air heading into the transfer window.