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LONDON - CHELSEA are planning a mass clear-out of players at the end of the season, irrespective of whether coach Avram Grant hangs on to his job.
The news will not help a squad needing to beat Everton today to keep alive hopes of beating Manchester United to the English Premier League title.
The Israeli Grant and his Russian billionaire boss Roman Abramovich are united in the belief that Chelsea's squad need a substantial overhaul if the club are to win trophies.
Andriy Shevchenko, Claudio Pizarro, Steve Sidwell and Tal Ben-Haim will be put up for sale.
The futures of more established players such as Florent Malouda, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Carlo Cudicini and Juliano Belletti are also uncertain.
With Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Wayne Bridge unsettled, the number of departures could reach double figures.
It will mean heavy losses on transfer fees for Chelsea.
Shevchenko, for example, is worth only a fraction of the £30 million (S$81 million) Chelsea paid for him in 2006.
The only clubs to have expressed an interest in Shevchenko are Dynamo Kiev and AC Milan, although several Major League Soccer franchises might also take him for a knock-down price.
Malouda, Belletti and Pizarro are less than 12 months into lucrative four-year deals, so finding clubs willing to pay up for them will not be easy.
Whether Grant will be around to undertake the process is unclear.
Abramovich would like to give him at least one full season to prove his worth, partially to justify his controversial decision to sack Jose Mourinho in September.
But he is seen as a 'small' manager at a 'big' club, with many fans openly hostile and some players unconvinced, one publicly.
Ben Haim, who joined last June from Bolton but has played just six matches since the turn of the year, said:
'Jose was the reason I came to Chelsea. If I knew Grant was going to be the coach, I would have signed for another club. I knew that nothing good would come with Grant as Chelsea coach.'
Grant has promised to take action against the defender after his outburst.
'If I think he was wrong, we'll deal with it in our way,' Grant said.
A shock 1-1 draw at home to Wigan on Monday has left the Blues five points behind leaders and reigning champions United with just four games of the season left.
But Petr Cech has warned United not to begin celebrating yet. The goalkeeper, who played against Wigan despite having 50 stitches in his face, said: 'United were lucky against Arsenal last Sunday, so they can be unlucky against Blackburn this Saturday. As long as we keep fighting, we'll have a chance.
'We have a difficult game at Everton, but if we beat them, we cut the gap to two points. We're not throwing in the towel yet.
'United have four games to play and they have to come to Stamford Bridge.'
Everton are desperate for points themselves to reduce the five-point gap to fourth-placed Liverpool, who occupy the last spot on offer to English clubs for next season's Champions League.
Former United goalkeeper Tim Howard can equal Neville Southall's Everton record of 15 clean sheets in a league season if he denies Chelsea.
ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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