Willian backs “very good” Chelsea star to steady the ship amidst managerial change

Willian praises Cesar Azpilicueta and backs him to take the team forward

Speaking to The Athletic (Subscription Required) (h/t Metro), former Chelsea winger Willian has praised the importance of club captain Cesar Azpilicueta at the club and backed him to take the team forward under the new regime.

Willian spent seven years at Chelsea between 2013 and 2020 and won multiple trophies with them, including two Premier League titles and a Europa League. During his time at Stamford Bridge, the Blues went through five managers.

The Brazilian international is pleased that his former teammate Azpilicueta has decided to sign a contract extension at Chelsea rather than leaving the club. He talked about the importance of the Spaniard and how he can take the team forward after the change of manager so early on in the season.

Here’s what the 34-year-old said speaking to The Athletic (h/t Metro):

“This is where Cesar Azpilicueta will help. He is a very good player, an important one for the club. He’s been there for 10 years. With his experience, he can help the young players that play there at the moment.

He knows what to do in this situation. Chelsea is a big club, one of the best in the world. Every year, Chelsea are fighting for something, even if they change a manager.”

Willian was also asked about the change in ownership at the club. When he was playing, Roman Abramovich was the boss. But things changed following the sanction to the Russian due to events in his country, which led to him handing the club over.

The American-consortium takeover was completed in May, with Todd Boehly being in the forefront of taking decisions for the club moving forward. One of which was to sack Thomas Tuchel earlier this month and appoint Graham Potter as the new manager.

Here are Willian’s thoughts on the change in ownership at Chelsea (h/t Metro):

“I couldn’t believe it when this situation happened. For me, when you talk about Chelsea, you just see Roman and Marina [Granovskaia]. It’s been difficult for everyone inside the club.”

The winger is currently playing for the London rivals Fulham. He will always be a legend at Chelsea with what he did and won with the club. 63 goals and 62 assists in 339 appearances in all competitions, including some important contributions is not a bad return.

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He is also not wrong about Azpilicueta. The Spaniard is a leader in the current squad. The club needs him to be a leader and take this team forward through a transition period. He has the character and quality to do that.