World Transfer Rumours: 5 Chelsea Players Andre Villas-Boas Will OK To Sell

Andre Villas-Boas was finally revealed this week as the new manager of Chelsea, a month after Carlo Ancelotti was given his marching orders by the Blues owner Roman Abramovich.

Ancelotti won plenty of admirers during his time in West London. Not only the Chelsea fans but rival clubs' fans and the British media took to the Italian's affectionate personality.

However, Abramovich ruthlessly discarded him after Chelsea's trophy-less season was pronounced as unacceptable.

The rumours swirled around the British media for weeks, dominating the back pages. The long-time favorite and former interim manager in 2009 for Chelsea was Guus Hiddink.

Problems arose with his commitment to coach the Turkish national team. Perhaps the deciding factor, unofficially, in changing Arbamovich's focus towards the 33-year-old Portuguese coach was a long-standing admiration for the beautiful football Barcelona play.

The Catalan club have set the benchmark for European football this season, epitomized with the scintillating performance in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley in May where they dispatched Manchester United comfortably 3-1.

Not only does Abramovich aspire to be entertained by Chelsea in the way Barcelona entertain their millions of admirers do, but he also craves the plaudits that come with it.

No longer is winning just enough and this is crucial in relation to José Mourinho, who despite his phenomenal winning record, could not or perhaps would not adapt his style to Abramovich's liking.

Hiddink came awfully close to beating Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League, losing on the away goals rule 1-1 on aggregate in the semifinals. Chelsea came within seconds of reaching the final in Rome before Andrés Iniesta scored in stoppage time of the second leg to deny the Blues.

The style of Hiddink was condemned and despite the cruelty of their victory, Barcelona were widely seen as deserved winners over the two legs due to persevering with their attacking style.

So, Abramovich has turned to youth, the youngest-ever coach, at 33-years-old, to have won a European competition, winning the Europa League with Porto last season.

But not just this. Villas-Boas is instantly seen as a charismatic, inspirational coach—like you know who, but with an attractive free-flowing style of football.

There is bound to be faith shown in the young Portuguese during the transfer market but it is equally as important to trim the squad of the deadwood before embarking on a spending spree.

Let's begin by dissecting the current Chelsea squad and identifying those that will be shown the door this summer.

Nicolas Anelka

Andre Villas-Boas operated a 4-3-3 formation at FC Porto last season.

The front three usually involved Radamel Falcao García, Hulk and Silvestre Varela—crucially, all of whom are young, 26 and under, which enabled them to maintain a high intensity for the entirety of the 90 minutes.  

It is almost certain that Villas-Boas will recruit a few of his ex-players from Porto to establish his unique style. Chelsea require an extra dimension in the attacking third and vice-captain of Porto, Falcao, is strongly believed to be Chelsea-bound with a €26 million release clause.

If recruited, that would leave a mouthwatering attacking combination with Fernando Torres, who Villas-Boas will hope can recapture the world-class form he showed at Liverpool.

Chelsea will also require to integrate the exceptional talent Daniel Sturridge, who flourished at Bolton in the second half of the season, proving he is capable of playing some role for Chelsea next season.

Therefore, Anelka would be an instant candidate to head for the Stamford Bridge exit, before even considering Didier Drogba, who we will get onto later. Anelka is 32 and endured a miserable end to the season on the bench as Torres and Didier Drogba struggled to form a partnership.

Unless Chelsea see Anelka finishing his career at the club, it is the last opportunity to receive a substantial transfer fee due to his contract expiring in 2012. Fellow Frenchman Thierry Henry has been rumoured to have persuaded Anelka to join him in the MLS in New York with the Red Bulls. It could be difficult to turn down such a handsome pay package that would go with the superstar lifestyle he would meet in New York.

Rumoured Destination: New York Red Bulls

Yuri Zhirkov

Yuri Zhirkov has experienced a turbulent spell at Chelsea since signing from CSKA Moscow two years ago.

The Russian has found it impossible to dislodge Ashley Cole at left back, while his arrival coincided with a sudden improvement of left winger Florent Malouda.

Zhirkov's opportunities have been limited to substitute appearances for either of the two mainstays of the Chelsea left flank or attempting to adapt to a left center midfield role in a 4-3-3 which has not suited him in the slightest.

The Russian still maintains relative value in his homeland and will attract plenty of offers. Only 27 years old, Zhirkov would command a considerable transfer fee that could be worthwhile to Chelsea to aid their pursuit of many other highly expensive footballing talent.

It is a shame considering the potential Zhirkov possesses and the undeniable desire for owner Abramovich to have a fellow countryman in the Chelsea team but many injuries have prevented the Russian from maintaining a consistent run of games to apply necessary pressure on his teammates for a starting spot.

Should Zhirkov leave, he will be remembered for a spectacular goal in the Champions League group stage against Spartak Moscow.

Probable Next Destination: CSKA Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg. 

José Bosingwa or Paulo Ferreira, Maybe Both?

Since Chelsea signed David Luíz in January from Benfica, the Blues possess four top-quality center backs along with Alex, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic.

Long-term, you would see David Luíz starting at center back which could jeopardize Alex's place in the starting 11 and the Brazilian is too good to warm the bench so there could be a scenario where he would leave Chelsea with reported interest from Bayern Munich.

Luíz has huge potential but he has been erratic at times and there is no doubt that Alex for the moment is a superior center back.

With Ivanovic supposedly resigned to being shifted out to right back despite his personal preference as a center back, it would leave an excessive number of squad players to cover at right back with the two Portuguese, Ferreira and Bosingwa being most likely to be trimmed from the squad.

It really is a coin toss as to which might be let go and perhaps both would be sold if academy player Billy Clifford possessed more quality or the exceptional England under-17 captain Nathaniel Chalobah was a few years older.

Ferreira has a contract until 2013 and Bosingwa has just one more year left until 2012. This should not be a consideration in deciphering which should be sold, since neither will command a big transfer fee. It should be considered, though, that Bosingwa might be more useful in a player swap or as a makeweight in a potential deal.

It really will depend on Villas-Boas' preference. Ferreira's happiness to be a squad player and his ability to fill in numerous positions aid his cause. The argument for Bosingwa will be that he is younger and although often vulnerable defensively, he possesses great pace and this is an important facet to Villas-Boas' tactical style.

I think it is more likely that Bosingwa will be sold due to his marginal extra value and his persistent injury problems. While Ferreira may not be the best right back in Europe as he was once considered in 2003, he is a team player and well known to be a positive influence in the dressing room.

Lastly, Ferreira is somebody fellow countryman Villas-Boas has worked with for many years before and will clearly trust.

Probably Next Destination for Bosingwa: AC Milan, Porto

Salomon Kalou

Salomon Kalou is a frustrating footballer, who often flatters to deceive and fails to deliver consistently, despite glimpses of real talent.

Kalou signed for Chelsea in 2006 from Dutch club Feyenoord and has been used all across the front line. To his credit, he often plays out of position in the wider areas and many of his appearances have been as a substitute, but his goal-scoring record is poor with just 55 in 227 games for Chelsea.

There is an argument that he joined very young and that he was adapting during the first few years, but now 25 years old, Kalou has failed to secure a first-team place. At his age, Chelsea would have expected Kalou to be starting and reaching his potential but 13 goals in 45 games last season provides no evidence of that.

The Ivorian has often performed brilliantly as a substitute, but has failed to take his chances to replicate this form as a starter.

Kalou is at an important moment in his career and has shown signs of unrest when he failed to celebrate his last-minute winner against Tottenham and later questioned Carlo Ancelotti's decision not to use him more as a starter.

Eventually Kalou did get his opportunity, as after Fernando Torres' struggling start to his Chelsea career, Ancelotti was forced to experiment and Kalou started against Manchester United in the title-decider before being hauled off after an hour for making no meaningful impact on the game.

Kalou is still young and with regular starts, it would be quite conceivable that he could score 15 goals or more for another Premier League club. But he is not on Chelsea's level and now faces even more competition with the return of Daniel Sturridge, who is similar in his ability to operate as in the wider areas of attack.

Kalou's value could be upwards of $15 million and a sale would suit all sides. Although no clubs have been linked recently.

Didier Drogba?!

The departure of Didier Drogba would be controversial but it may benefit Chelsea and allow them to get the best out of other players. Moreover, without Drogba, Chelsea could completely overhaul their style in a way that could enable them to challenge Barcelona in the Champions League.

Drogba is something of an enigma and is berated by fans (even his own) for his flopping or diving. When he wants to be, the Ivorian is a beast that is uncontrollable. Can Chelsea afford to wave goodbye to one of their only world-class players?

Players of Drogba's level are few and far between, but the argument would be that his presence is hindering the integration of $80 million January signing Fernando Torres. This is of course on the presumption that once Drogba leaves, Torres would flourish and rekindle his optimum form that took the Premier League by storm while with Liverpool.

Chelsea will rejuvenate their squad this summer and attack is the priority. With young Daniel Sturridge's inevitable return and desire for at least first-team opportunities and the impending arrival of Belgium phenomenon Romelu Lukaku, competition is going to be fierce.

The obvious question that leads many to assume Drogba will be sold, is why would Chelsea invest so much money—and hope, more than anything—in Torres, Lukaku and Sturridge if Drogba remains at Stamford Bridge?

After all, Drogba has clearly shown he is not prepared to play a reduced role with regular appearances off the bench, so why would Andre Villas-Boas want such a disruptive influence should he require to rotate or tinker with his team throughout the season?

Drogba is 33 and despite belatedly starting his career in his 20s in France, he is not getting any better. Chelsea might presume that at his best he could not inspire them to the holy grail that is the Champions League, so why persist any longer?

Drogba's options could be a swan song with French giants Marseilles or as part of a deal to sign Luka Modric from Spurs.

The proverbial nail in the coffin for Drogba will be the rumoured $42 million signing of Villas-Boas' former vice-captain and goal-scoring machine Radamel Falcao García.

Probable Next Destination: Marseilles, Spurs