Chelsea legend Joe Cole has urged Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to sell at least 10 players in the summer as the current Chelsea squad is just too big.

Chelsea currently have more than 30 first-team players at Stamford Bridge.

Asked if a year out of European competition could in fact benefit Chelsea, Cole told BT Sport: “It helped Antonio Conte’s team. Chelsea finished 10th and then won the league after Conte came in.

“I’m not saying I think Chelsea are going to win the league next season – there’s more than enough strong teams above them – but without a doubt it will help the team.

“But it will only help if Chelsea offload at least 10 players. I think at least 10 players need to be trimmed from the squad.”

Michael Owen also believes Chelsea will be in better health following a summer clear-out and has backed the Blues to ‘bounce back’ next season following a dismal year.

“I don’t think there’s as many problems as you might think,”:Owen said. “With a little bit of a clear-out, a smaller squad and some stability, it’s almost impossible to think they will finish in the bottom-half again next season.

“They will bounce back and be a top-six team, I’m certain of that. All is not lost – they’ve got some great players, there’s a lot going for this club. They just need to sort out some of these problems but it could be a lot worse.”