The end of an era for the Spaniard at Stamford Bridge?
According to the club’s official website, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has given his thoughts on the prevailing situation regarding the future of Cesar Azpilicueta at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish veteran has been a loyal servant to the club since joining us in 2012. He has since made 474 appearances, scoring 17 goals and assisting 56 more. Only six players have won more caps for Chelsea than Azpilicueta in their rich history, of these only three- John Terry, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech have done so in the Premier League era.
At 32, the Spaniard is not getting any younger. He however holds a key role in Tuchel’s plans and the German is keen to keep hold of his defensive talisman in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Acpilicueta has been linked with a return to Spain this summer. Tuchel admits that talks are currently ongoing between the club and the player on coming to a common consensus. Having won it all at Stamford Bridge, one could argue that the Spaniard is seeking a new challenge.
“We had a lot of these talks because I think it felt like he won everything after the Club World Cup so I can understand these thoughts, that maybe a cycle is at its end.”
Tuchel also goes on to add that the ownership saga that has embroiled the club in recent months could have played a part in Azpilicueta’s decision. Todd Boehly looks set to take over as the new Blues chief and it remains to be seen how his reign will pan out.
“Then there’s also a change of ownership and he played only under this owner so maybe it increased his second thoughts about his situation.”
Tuchel remains defiant to a degree and goes on to further add that the club needs to be selfish. Chelsea are not responsible for other teams’ ambitions and should instead focus on doing what is best for them.
Despite what looks like an impending exit, there is no love lost between Chelsea and Azpilicueta. It would be fair to assume that should there be a parting of the ways, it will be an amicable one.
“He loves the club, he loves the challenge and he loves to be here. He is our captain.”
Losing Azpilicueta will make Tuchel’s summer even harder. This, coupled with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s exits, calls for a summer revamp of the club’s defensive roster. Replacing three veterans is no easy task and it remains to be seen how Tuchel goes about it.
But it’s not the first time the Blues are losing some of their top players, and it won’t be the last. The club has always been resilient and the way we have managed to maintain form despite the ownership uncertainty shows just what the team is made of.
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