Why departure of Cesar Azpilicueta will haunt Chelsea?
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is holding discussions to leave the club this summer. The Spaniard joined the Blues in 2012 and has been the heartbeat of Chelsea’s backline for the past decade.
According to the reports from Fabrizio Romano, Azpilicueta wants to try a new challenge in the twilight of his career. He is negotiating with Chelsea to leave the club this summer despite having a contract until 2024. Inter Milan are working on a deal to bring the Spain International to Serie A.
Inter Milan have identified the Azpilicueta as the replacement for Milan Skriniar, who joined Paris Saint Germain (PSG) as a free agent this summer. As they are looking for an experienced defender in the backline, they feel the 33-year-old will bring versatility and resistance to their defense.
Apart from Inter Milan, Bayern Munich are also monitoring the situation around Azpilicueta. Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has always been a fan of the Spaniard since their days together at Chelsea. The Bavarians refused to make a permanent transfer for Joao Cancelo and are now looking at another defender to strengthen their backline.
Chelsea have already seen a lot of experienced players leave this window. Letting their captain go would be a big blow for Mauricio Pochettino. Firstly, the Spaniard has mastered multiple positions in Chelsea’s backline. As Reece James and Ben Chilwell have had trouble with injuries, letting Azpilicueta leave will take away the cover for both of these fullbacks.
It was reported that the departure of Jorginho to Arsenal negatively impacted Chelsea’s dressing room. The Italian midfielder was a massive personality in the dressing room. By letting their captain go, Chelsea would only add fuel to the fire. Although Thiago Silva is an experienced defender, he has only been at Stamford Bridge for three years. Hence, the Blues should understand what they are doing by letting their most experienced player leave this summer.
