Nigeria international Mikel Obi has been listed among the players that will be shown the way out of Chelsea in the next transfer window, to help cover the cost of the spectacular £75million outlay on transfer deadline day.

Mikel is listed alongside Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda, Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov will all be under intense scrutiny until the end of the season.

The Blues broke with recent tradition and spent vast sums on one of the planet’s finest strikers Fernando Torres and most in-demand young defenders – David Luiz. The record sums are in stark contrast to the last couple of seasons when owner Roman Abramovich had kept firm grip on the purse strings following several years of spend, spend, spend.

A Chelsea source said: “There are a few big names and big earners whose performances have fallen short this season. If things don’t improve there will be some notable casualties in the summer. The competition for places will be keener now and that should be a great motivation for everyone.”

Chelsea’s splurge came on the day when the club announced record losses of £70.9m. That combined with the £75m on Luiz and Torres puts the defending champions in UEFA’s firing line ahead of the introduction of financial fair play rules which mean clubs must limit their spending according to income.