Glen Johnson has warned anyone not able to get into the Chelsea starting XI will be up for sale this summer when a wretched season at Stamford Bridge comes to an end.
The Blues are on a run of six Premier League defeats on the bounce and while they can still salvage something when they take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final this month, it has been a campaign to forget.
There were whispers of a title challenge in west London early in the season but since February, Chelsea have collected fewer points than relegation-threatened Tottenham.
They have scored just one goal in their last six – a sensational bicycle kick from Joao Pedro who is one of the few players to emerge with any credit during their rotten run.
Chelsea will appoint a new permanent head coach at the end of the season with another summer of squad upheaval expected.
Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella raised doubts over their long-term futures during Liam Rosenior’s final weeks in charge while Cole Palmer remains persistently linked with a move to Manchester United.
While former Chelsea right-back Johnson believes the club will hold onto their most prized assets, he warns anyone not consistently starting for the club faces being moved on.
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‘Anyone not getting in the team is up for sale,’ Johnson told Metro via BetMGM. ‘The team is struggling badly, if you are the person who can’t get in that team, where do you go from there?
‘If they are not good enough to get into a struggling team, then they are not good enough to ever get in the team.
‘You need to rebuild the back-up to push the starting XI and that’s how you improve. If you haven’t got adequate back up, it’s all downhill.’
Alejandro Garnacho and Liam Delap, who arrived at the club last summer from Manchester United and Ipswich Town last summer, are two players who have struggled to force their way into the side with reports suggesting the club will listen to offers for both.
Chelsea need more from ‘6/10’ Cole Palmer
Palmer meanwhile missed a penalty on Monday against Nottingham Forest as his underwhelming campaign continued.
The former Manchester City starlet had a spell out of the team due to a troublesome groin injury, missing most of the first-half of the season.
Johnson believes the England international is still feeling the effects of that issue that are too often limiting him to ‘6/10’ performances.
‘It is a testing time [for Palmer], Johnson said. ‘Credit to him to playing through this injury when he’s called upon but at the same time, you have to perform.
‘90 per cent of footballers are playing with a knock, very rarely are you playing at 100 per cent. He’s trying to get out there and play for his team but at the same time he needs to look after himself so he can get back to the level which will help the team.
‘Sometimes having few weeks out can help the team out more than a 6/10 out of Cole Palmer.’