As many as four Chelsea players could be making their last ever Premier League start for the club against Leicester City today. Here’s everything you need to know.
Davide Zappacosta
Davide Zappacosta and Premier League starts are not often something associated together, but Maurizio Sarri may have no choice but to include him today.
Sarri proved by moving Cesar Azpilicueta to centre-back on Thursday night that he doesn’t trust Gary Cahill, which suggests Zappa could get another run out on the right today.
That is more through necessity than anything else, though. Zappacosta has been starved of game-time, and with Reece James set to return, this could be the end of the road for the Italian.
Mateo Kovacic
Considering how frequently he’s used him this term, you get the impression that Sarri would sign Kovacic on a permanent basis if he were able.
However, with Chelsea’s transfer ban still in place, there’s no guarantee that an opportunity will present itself for us to make the Croat our own permanently.
With N’Golo Kante injured, Kovacic is almost certain to start in midfield today. Could it be his last ever Premier League appearance for Chelsea? Only time will tell.
Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain finds himself in a similar situation to Kovacic. Both he and Sarri would likely want him to stick around at Stamford Bridge, but FIFA could have the final say.
The Argentine is one of the best strikers of his generation, but clearly is not the player he used to be. Even if we were to sign him, he can’t be considered a long-term solution.
Regardless, a goal today to ensure Chelsea secure a third place finish would go a long way to convincing the fans of his competency. Let’s see if he’s able.
Eden Hazard
This one’s the tear-jerker. We absolutely adore Eden Hazard, as does the entire fanbase, but the possibility of him departing is a genuine one.
He will have just a year left to run on his contract come the summer window. The power over his future has fallen into his hands, which is bad news for us.
If today is the final time we see Hazard playing in the Premier League, we dearly hope that he signs off with something special.
