For the majority of the Roman Abramovich era Chelsea have been regarded as the hunter in the transfer market rather than the hunted, but that status is now under threat.

Maurizio Sarri’s team are still fighting it out on four fronts following Sunday’s convincing FA Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday, when two Willian goals bookended a superb individual effort by Callum Hudson-Odoi.

However, the script for much of the past 16 years — of a club able to buy a lot of the targets identified to strengthen the squad, while losing very few prize assets — is looking far less robust.

Most of the time a Chelsea player has departed simply because of their age, an inability to make an impact, or the prospect of making a nice profit on someone they can afford to lose.

Naturally there have been occasions when Chelsea have come to regret someone escaping the net but could not persuade them to stay on.

Players such as Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Daniel Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku spring to mind. Even then, there was a degree of justification in letting them go at a particular time.

Until last summer, it could still be argued that the biggest loss Chelsea suffered was the sale of Arjen Robben to Real Madrid, for £25m, in 2007.

But alarm bells began to ring when Chelsea failed to persuade Thibaut Courtois to sign a new deal and the best keeper at the World Cup left them for Real Madrid in August.

There has been a real danger of deja vu since then regarding their crown jewel, Eden Hazard. Just like his Belgium team-mate Courtois, the offer of a contract extension continues to be ignored as Real Madrid lurk.

And now even the finest of their young academy graduates — Hudson-Odoi — isn’t safe from the clutches of a member of Europe’s elite as Bayern Munich are confident of luring the teenager.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has established a reputation for being a fearsome negotiator, but those skills will be put to the test over the next few days and months.

She has had some notable achievements to celebrate as Abramovich’s commander in chief. The £60m sale of Oscar to Shanghai SIPG in 2016 was a remarkable bit of business, the £50m Paris Saint Germain paid for David Luiz in 2014 was another.

There have been failures too. The summer window of 2017 was particularly bad, given £155m was spent on Alvaro Morata, Danny Drinkwater, Davide Zappacosta and Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Two, Morata and Bakayoko, are now on loan elsewhere. The others are barely seen on the Chelsea team-sheet.

But Chelsea cannot afford to let the club’s best young and senior players leave west London in 2019. It will send the wrong message to the rest of the Premier League and Europe.

There are already question marks as to how Chelsea have allowed themselves to get into such a vulnerable negotiating position in the first place.

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In two competitions, in the space of a few days, everyone has been given a reminder of what the duo can do.

Hazard was inspirational on Thursday night as he helped Chelsea come from behind against Tottenham to book their place in the EFL Cup Final.

Then on Sunday, despite handing in a transfer request a day before, Hudson-Odoi demonstrated his vast potential with a fine goal.

You can imagine that striker Gonzalo Higuain, who made his debut in the FA Cup victory, is desperate for both men to stick around to set up goals for him.

Hudson-Odoi could be first to go as Bayern want him before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

It won’t be easy, but Chelsea have to stand firm and somehow persuade the duo to commit their long-term futures. For if both head for the exit, not only will Chelsea be a lot weaker, they will look like easy prey.