If Azpilicueta is being patient with his renewal, Chelsea will not lose their nerve. ‘The Athletic’ informs this Tuesday about the future of the Spanish defender. Although he does not offer new details about a possible contract renewal with Chelsea, he does explain the way the blues work.
As in almost everything, Marina Granovskaia is in charge, general director of the club. Abramovich’s ‘Hand of the King’, she will be the one who will decide the future of Azpilicueta and the waiting game of one of those who dominates. They insist that the Spaniard is not aiming to sign any pre-contract and that he will endure the decision without ruling out a Chelsea in which he is a legend and of which they already speak of his possible reincorporation when he hangs up his boots. If you decide to extend the wait, Granovskaia will move just as comfortably in this scenario. They emphasize that this similar situation was experienced with other club legends.
Frank Lampard signed his last contract with Chelsea in May and so did John Terry. The central even had a hard time finishing closing its renewal. A situation that also lived with Drogba in 2012 and some even with a different ending, when he allowed Ashley Cole’s contract to end at 13-14 in which Azpilicueta himself overtook him as the starter.
Respect for the legends remains, but they assure that the Russian is, above all, a pragmatic manager and values only the present and the future of the player in the club. In case this changes, Barcelona appears as one of the strongest options. The Blaugrana are probing the free agent market in search of good opportunities and the interest in Azplicueta, although it has not yet become a formal offer, exists.
Although the competition is tough in the European champion, Azpilicueta has accumulated more than 1,900 minutes so far this season, playing 25 games. In the Champions League he has played everything well as a starter or coming off the bench. In the Premier is where Tuchel has been giving alternatives to other teammates depending on the week, leaving the Spaniard unprecedented from matchday 9 to 13. Since his last substitution without minutes on Boxing Day, the Navarrese has played everything in the League.