CHELSEA have announced the clubs release list for the end of the 2021/22 season.
Following a season which saw The Blues win the Club World Cup and reach the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals there have been a number of stars released following contract expiries.
Christensen leaves Chelsea after 10 years with the club Credit: PA
Drinkwater was anything but a regular player for Chelsea Credit: PA:Press Association Among the most notable names on the list are Andreas Christensen, Danny Drinkwater, and Charly Musonda.
Of these 24-year-old Christensen made the most profound impact on the first team – winning six trophies with the Blues including the Champions League when he came on off the bench for an injured Thiago Silva in the final.
The centre-half made 161 appearances for the Chelsea first team, scoring two goals and registering two assists.
He ends a 10-year association with Chelsea and is now expected to join Barcelona.
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New customers get £30 in FREE BETS when you stake any amount – 18+ T&Cs apply Drinkwater joined Chelsea from Leicester City two seasons after helping Leicester City win an unprecedented title in 2015/16, but made just 23 appearances in his time at Stamford Bridge.
In a heartfelt and brutally honest assessment of his time at the club, Drinkwater described the £35million transfer as “a business move gone wrong.”
The 32-year-old said: “Me, the club and fans are hugely disappointed with the outcome there is no doubt about that.
“Injuries, how I have been treated, mistakes I have made, issues of the pitch, lack of game time… the list of excuses could be endless but I would not and can not change what’s happened.
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“Footballs a fantastic sport but this for both parties was a business move gone wrong, it’s as black and white as that.”
Musonda’s time at Chelsea will ultimately go down as another victim of Chelsea’s ruthless loan system.
The 25-year-old joined The Blues Academy as a scholar in 2013 and was part of Youth teams which won a number of accolades including the FA Youth Cup and Under-21 Premier League.
The attacking midfielder made just seven appearances in the first team, spending the majority of his time as a senior player either out on loan or side-lined by injury.
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Love Island’s Gemma Owen left heartbroken by pet dog’s sudden death 24-year-old Jake Salter-Clarke was also on the list, appearing just twice for Chelsea’s senior team across a 16-year association with the club.
He was on loan with Coventry in the Championship last season where he appeared 31 times.
Antonio Rudiger was also noted at the beginning of Chelsea’s list, but a transfer to Real Madrid had been confirmed for him earlier this month.
Rudiger (R) will link up with Chelsea legend Hazard (L) at Real Madrid Credit: Getty Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk