Chelsea Transfer Talk: 5 Players Chelsea Must Send Packing

Once again, there is a new manager in charge of Chelsea, and Rafa Benitez will be looking to make changes to his new squad in the January transfer window.

Over the summer, former manager Roberto Di Matteo brought in plenty of youth to the squad with Eden Hazard, Oscar, Marko Marin and Cesar Azpilicueta all coming into the squad. 

The older players in the squad may be sent packing in the January window to make room for more youth as Benitez continues the overhaul of the Blues roster.

Here are five players that should leave the London club in January.  

Ashley Cole

The biggest name being linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge in the press is left-back Ashley Cole. 

Cole has been linked to two clubs that have former Chelsea managers in charge at the moment. 

The latest Cole rumor said that he was to be joining up with Real Madrid and former manager Jose Mourinho. 

Cole has also been linked with PSG and Carlo Ancelotti; the latest speculation comes after a tweet was posted on the official PSG Twitter feed this weekend about the potential move for Cole in January.

If Cole were to move on from Chelsea, the Blues will have a ready replacement at left-back in Ryan Bertrand. 

Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard is another player who is a part of the old guard at Chelsea that is close to ending his career at the club.

The England international has only made seven starts for the club this season due to injuries, and he faces a struggle to get back into the starting 11 with plenty of midfielders in form at the moment. 

Lampard is being linked with moves to China and the United States in the past few months as the 34-year-old looks to make one more stop on his career path before he retires. 

The links to the United States and MLS could become stronger as the January transfer window approaches as David Beckham has announced he will be leaving the LA Galaxy after Sunday's MLS Cup match with the Houston Dynamo. 

Paulo Ferreira

Yes, Paulo Ferreira is still being paid by Chelsea to sit on the bench. 

At this point in his Stamford Bridge career, Ferreira is just collecting a paycheck for showing up to the training ground each day with no shot of breaking into the first team.

There is not much speculation on where the Portuguese right-back may end up if he leaves the club, but at this point he is just wasting money that Chelsea could spend on a player they could acquire in January and actually play for the first team. 

Daniel Sturridge

Chelsea are still looking for a world-class forward to provide plenty of goals for the club but it looks like Daniel Sturridge is not the man to do that for the Blues. 

Sturridge has been linked to Liverpool in the January transfer window as the Reds have a need at the position as well, with Luis Suarez being the only true forward on the roster. 

The English forward has only made one start in EPL play this season as the Chelsea staff continues to back Fernando Torres to succeed at the position. 

Although he would not be the main forward if he were to move to Anfield, Sturridge would get more playing time than he would if he stayed at Stamford Bridge. 

Michael Essien

Michael Essien is technically still on the roster at Chelsea but he is on loan to Real Madrid for the rest of the season. 

Essien was a consistent performer in midfield for the Blues before his injury crisis over the past few seasons limited his time on the pitch. 

The 29-year-old Ghanaian has been reunited with former boss Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu this season and has most likely played his last match in a Chelsea shirt. 

Chelsea have already replaced Essien at his midfield position with the signings of Ramires and Oriol Romeu in the past few seasons, and he is sure to be let go after he returns from his loan.