Since the Chelsea ownership changed back in 2022, one of the main goals for Todd Boehly and co, whether it is for better or for worse, has been to lower their wage bill, introducing incentivised contracts and targeting younger players who aren't earning huge money at their respective clubs.
By doing this, they can ensure the players they are recruiting are still receiving a pay increase to make the move more appealing, whilst also offering them competitive incentive-driven increases.
Chelsea's top ten highest earners
Player
Reece James
Raheem Sterling
Wesley Fofana
Christopher Nkunku
Enzo Fernández
Marc Cucurella
Pedro Neto
Moises Caicedo
Cole Palmer
Tosin Adarabioyo
Figures taken via Football Fancast
The highest earner at the club currently is Reece James, club captain and very important to the team when he is fully fit, so this does make sense.
However, certain players in this list either haven't offered the same value thus far or aren't perfectly suited to Enzo Maresca's system, particularly in those full-back ranks.
Chelsea's full-back options
We have seen this season how Maresca wants his team to set up, and most importantly, how he wants to use his fullbacks in a versatile manner to aid his team.
James is one man who has shown this so far under Maresca, inverting into midfield alongside Moises Caicedo at times, filling in as a third central defender at other times and even attacking as one of the pocket players - at number ten - when required.
Marc Cucurella has been used in a similar fashion from the left-hand side, arriving in the box and scoring goals under Maresca, something he hadn't previously been known for, showing his versatility as a player and ability to affect the game in more ways than one.
Indeed, the Spaniard has already chalked up five goals this term, having only netted once in total for former club Brighton.
Chelsea captain Reece James-1
Whilst the likes of Cucurella and James have suited this approach used by Maresca, there is one man who certainly did not, and this just so happens to be another one of the club's highest earners, making it much more of an issue.
The Chelsea high earner who needs to be sold
Chelsea signed English left-back, Ben Chiwell from Leicester City back in 2020 for a fee of around £50m. The 28-year-old fullback has made 107 appearances for the Blues since arriving, scoring nine goals, providing 12 assists and totalling 7,385 minutes played.
Despite being a huge part of Chelsea's UEFA Champions League-winning campaign under Thomas Tuchel as a flying wingback, the England fullback now finds himself out of the plans under Maresca, as the usage of fullbacks within this system doesn't cater to Chilwell's qualities.
Since joining the club, Chilwell has earned over £40m in wages, as per Capology, with his current deal set to expire on June 30th, 2027.
Whilst he didn't make the top ten highest earners list, due to being on loan with Crystal Palace paying half of his wages, Chilwell is one of the highest earners at the club, usually on £200k per week.
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Perry Groves labelled Chilwell as "rusty" when speaking on talkSPORT in March last year, criticising the England left-back for only "doing just enough" when turning out for the Three Lions.
Since being on loan with Palace, Chilwell has only managed to make five appearances, totalling just 184 minutes played. This could prove to be an issue when finding him a new home in the summer, but Chelsea and Boehly will look to cross that bridge when it comes to it.
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