Cesar Azpilicueta was close to being part of the near total change at the club.
The Blues almost had a new captain. In February, Azpilicueta informed the club that he wanted to leave.
Azpilicueta has now won every trophy available to him as a Chelsea player and a move back to Spain, with Barcelona among those reportedly interested, looked well on the cards.
Azpilicueta signed a new two-year deal under the new ownership group. The defender is still one of the key players from the RomanAbramovich era.
Azpilicueta says he has been committed to the club since day one. I never left my home because it's my home.
It was never a decision about contract years or wages for me. Everything changed when I said my feelings.
I dealt with it myself. He and the new owners had an honest conversation and I'm really proud to be the captain and I'm looking forward to the next year. The best thing for everyone was to stay.
The new structure is boosted by the fact that Azpilicueta is a central part of it. There is a feeling that the long-serving player is confident that the Boehly consortium will succeed.
If you want a more accessible video player, please use the chrome browser.
The new owners have given money to Azpilicueta. The Boehlys stole a City target from the jaws of the premier league champion.
The Boehlys think about both the immediate success of the club and its long-term planning, and the arrival of experienced centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly gives the impression that they do.
"It's very important that we keep the ambition high and keep winning trophies - and we have shown that with our transfers and the new players coming in."
The owners have been very transparent and honest since the beginning. It's difficult to step up after just a few months of sanctions because you can't make any moves.
The competition is high. It's difficult to find players on more teams. We had a great recruitment until now, but sometimes you need more time. The new owners have shown success in other sports and I am confident that we will have a successful period as a club.
There could be more moves on the way, with Barcelona duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie de Jong both on the radar. Azpilicueta says they are still working on more. I'm very excited that there is still some movement.
The feel-good factor regarding their new owners is different from the doubts that success can be instantaneous. Gary Neville said last week that he's unsure about whether Chelsea can beat out the other teams for a spot in the top 4.
Azpilicueta doesn't agree with the idea that there is need for patience. It's hard to get time in football.
It can take more time to learn as they have different routines. Positive results help everything around you, so we have to work as hard as we can to get results on the pitch.
Sky Sports will show a preview of what kind of season the Blues can have when they play Spurs on Sunday. The London derby is more than just the first match of the season between two 'Big Six' sides, it's also a chance to see if Spurs have moved ahead of the Blues in terms of progress and planning.
Azpilicueta was asked if victory would send out a statement to the rest of the division. It's just about winning when you play Spurs.
They did their transfer business before the start of the season. We are very familiar with Antonio and how he prepares his teams. We have to be ready, and we are working hard to be ready.
Azpilicueta and new signing Koulibably will have to shut down one of the hottest front threes in the league after helping to keep a clean sheet over the weekend. Heung-min Son, Harry Kane, and Dejan Kulusevski have all scored 33 goals and registered 21 assists since the end of February.
"They are quality players, the numbers are there in the way they score goals and create chances," Azpilicueta said when asked about the Spurs. They work well together and are organized.
"Big games can be decided by small details - and the answer for that is working together, being offensive and trying to play in the opposite half - then be ready to defend because there's times where you have to cope with it."
Azpilicueta is familiar with how Conte can change a team. Azpilicueta was praised by the Italian coach as one of the best defenders in the world after he helped the Blues win the title.
He told the defender that he was playing right center-back. At the beginning of the season, I played left-back and then we switched to a back three.
He gave me the confidence to play. We had a lot of time together. He gave me the confidence and the chance to play in a position I had never played before. I had to put in a lot of work.
Azpilicueta is going to learn a lot from his former manager this weekend.
Sky Sports will show the Super Sunday clash between Cesar Azpilicueta'sChelsea and Spurs.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
