Chelsea did their very best to steal all the headlines of the January transfer window, with the Blues spending almost £300m on eight new players as they look to climb the Premier League table under Graham Potter.

The mega-million spending spree included a Deadline Day British record deal for midfielder Enzo Fernandez, with the Argentinian youngster joining the club from Benfica for £107m. Also arriving at Stamford Bridge were the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix.

But all the spending didn’t exactly help Chelsea in their first game since the transfer window ended, with Potter’s side drawing 0-0 with west London rivals Fulham. The result sees them languishing in ninth place in the table, with just eight wins from their 21 matches.

With all the incomings, there of course have to be outgoings. Two players did exit Stamford Bridge last month, with Jorginho joining rivals Arsenal for a reported £12m and teenager Jude Soonsup-Bell also leaving for north London with a move to Tottenham. But it certainly won’t be the last of the exits as Potter looks to find some balance in his squad.

Many clubs will be licking their lips at the thought of a mass Chelsea auction this summer, but the Blues must be careful not to avoid letting some of their talented squad players go. Potter need not be reminded of historic exits from the club that have gone on to shine elsewhere, with Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah undoubtedly top of the pile.

Central defender Fikayo Tomori has also starred at AC Milan since leaving Chelsea, with ex-Blues striker Tammy Abraham also performing admirably in Serie A for Roma. But who else could join this list if the west London outfit aren’t careful?

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Conor Gallagher

Talented midfielder Conor Gallagher became an instant hit at Crystal Palace during his loan spell at the Eagles not so long ago, with his displays leaving Chelsea with no choice but to bring him back into the first-team picture after his temporary exit.

But the 22-year-old has largely been limited to appearances from the substitute bench this season, and has witnessed his stock at the club fall somewhat after the arrival of fellow central midfielder Fernandez. That said, the duo were paired together by Potter in the recent draw with Fulham.

But Gallagher’s time on the pitch has coincided with injuries to the likes of Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kanté and Denis Zakaria, with Mason Mount, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and another new face in Andrey Santos also competing for a starting spot, and that is even after the sale of Jorginho. De Bruyne was the same age as Gallagher is now when he left for Wolfsburg in 2014.

N'Golo Kante

As mentioned, Chelsea’s midfield is hugely competitive, and £107m signing Fernandez has simply added to the congestion. But the Argentinian’s arrival could have a direct impact on France hero Kante, who has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in recent months.

Premier League rivals Liverpool – who are seemingly desperate to recruit new midfielders this summer – have been rumoured to be keeping an eye on Kante, who has missed the majority of the current campaign with a hamstring injury.

At 31, the midfielder’s age and indeed his injury issues will not do him any favours when Chelsea carry out their inevitable clearout in just a few months. The France international has been immense when on the pitch for the Blues, but his phenomenal story in west London looks set for an unfortunate ending.

Hakim Ziyech

Hakim Ziyech was the first arrival at Stamford Bridge following the club’s transfer ban in 2020, but the excitement surrounding his £33m deal in 2020 has all but disappeared. The winger has failed to make an impact in recent times, with just one assist and no goals to his name in 16 games this season.

Such a downfall led to the Moroccan reportedly asking Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to help force through a loan move to PSG last month, with the deal ultimately falling through due to paperwork issues.

After all the Deadline Day drama, Ziyech remains a Chelsea player and has returned to normal life in England, but his future at the club looks increasingly uncertain, with PSG and perhaps various other European sides keen to land his signature in the summer. Such clubs could include Italian outfits Roma and AC Milan, while it is understood that Everton were interested in bringing him to Goodison Park last month.

Christian Pulisic

Another forward that arrived on English soil with huge promise was Christian Pulisic, who Chelsea signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, with the reported £58m fee still standing as the most ever paid for an American player.

Injuries have definitely stunted his progression in blue, resulting in a similar situation to Ziyech in the final third, with Pulisic on just one goal and two assists from his 21 matches this season.

Transfermarkt claims that fellow Premier League clubs Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal have all been keeping tabs on the 24-year-old, with Serie A giants AC Milan also reportedly interested in bringing him to Italy as soon as possible. Salah’s exit from Chelsea way back when may, however, warn Potter not to make a similar mistake.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

In one of the more outlandish moves of the summer transfer window, Chelsea brought former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the Premier League, offering him another chance at success after an acrimonious exit from the Gunners earlier that year.

But despite the oddity of the move, it was all looking rosy for Aubameyang under old friend Thomas Tuchel, with the forward scoring in both games against AC Milan in the Champions League group stages, along with netting on his league debut against Crystal Palace.

Frustratingly for all interested parties, Aubameyang has not scored for Chelsea since then, with the striker failing to find the back of the net during his various outings, which have largely come off the bench. In fact, he hasn’t started a game since early November, however the biggest sign that his future lies elsewhere comes as he was excluded from the club’s squad for the Champions League knockout stages.