Jamie Carragher insists 'players have to STOP signing for Chelsea'

Jamie Carragher has slammed Chelsea's transfer policy and urged prospective arrivals to reconsider joining the club this summer.

Ahead of Enzo Maresca's first season in charge at Stamford Bridge the Blues have continued their recent trend of being prolific in the transfer market, with nine senior arrivals already confirmed.

More signings are still expected ahead of the window closing at the end of this month, with Joao Felix's arrival from Atletico Madrid expected to be officially announced imminently.

While the policy has provided Maresca huge depth in talent to work with as the Blues look to secure Champions League football this season it has not proved to be universally popular.

Speaking ahead of Leicester's clash with Tottenham, Carragher insisted that he is perplexed as to why any player would want to try and compete for a place in such an already bloated squad.

'Chelsea have just got to stop buying players, and players have got to stop signing for Chelsea.' Carragher said on Sky Sports.

'If I was a player, I would look at that Chelsea project, why would you sign?

'The only reason why you would sign is because someone might say, your agent might say, "we're getting a seven year deal on big money that's guaranteed money for seven years".

'You know what I'd say, back yourself as a player. Sign a four year deal at a proper club, and back yourself to do well, and then when you due for a renewal, your money goes up anyway. I don't understand why players are signing seven-year deals.'

Carragher added that the number of senior players on their books could actually prove to be to Chelsea's detriment this season, and compared their squad size to those that he was a part of in during his own playing career.

'What I'm saying is great football teams need competition, but every football team I played in there was seven or eight players who knew they were playing every week, and then you've got six or seven players who are fighting for three positions, and then you've got another six or seven players in a squad who know they are squad players.

'That is a healthy squad. What else you've got right now? And you're asking, Where's Felix? Is he going to play?

'You know what I want to ask you, where's he going to get changed at the training ground? I'm deadly serious. Where are these people? If you've got 40 players, how are you all in one session? How are you putting a training session on?'