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Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has been the backbone of Chelsea's defense for almost a decade now. Arriving from Marseille for just £7 million in 2012, the Spaniard has proved to be an absolute bargain for the Blues.
Azpilicueta quickly became a fan favorite at Stamford Bridge due to his grit and determination on the pitch. He has regularly featured under all the managers he has worked with at the club. His versatility is perhaps his biggest asset.
Although initially playing at right-back, Azpilicueta was used on the left-flank by Jose Mourinho during the Portuguese manager's second tenure at the club. Later on, Antonio Conte reinstated him at right-back before starting to use him as a right-sided centre-back in the back three.
During his nine seasons at the club, Azpilicueta has made 439 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, scoring 14 goals and registering 56 assists. He is currently the club's seventh-highest appearance maker.
Azpilicueta's trophy record is also pretty envious. He has won eight trophies with the Blues, including two Premier League titles and one Champions League, making him one of Chelsea's modern day greats.
Chelsea will soon need to find a replacement for Azpilicueta
While Azpilicueta is still going strong on the field for Chelsea, the Spaniard is not getting any younger. He is currently 32 and will soon need to be replaced considering the fast-paced nature of the Premier League.
So let's take a look at five such players who could replace Azpilicueta at Chelsea:
#5 Nordi Mukiele
Nordi Mukiele is currently plying his trade in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig after joining the club in 2018. The German outfit signed the right-back from Montpellier for a reported £14.5 million.
Since making the move to Leipzig, Mukiele has gone on to firmly cement himself as a key cog in their backline. The Frenchman has featured on 117 occasions across all competitions for Die Roten Bullen and has also scored eight goals and provided seven assists during that time. Mukiele also earned his first senior France cap during the international break in September.
As mentioned earlier, the 23-year-old is a right-back by trade and has played in that position for the majority of his career. However, he is also capable of operating as a right wing-back in a back five and is also well versed in the centre-back spot.
These characteristics put him in good stead to replace Azpilicueta at Chelsea. Azpilicueta currently fills the same role for Thomas Tuchel's troops. He is capable of playing as a right back, right wing-back and can also slot in at centre-back whenever required.
With Mukiele capable of playing in similar positions, there's no doubt he would seamlessly slot in at Stamford Bridge. The Blues, however, will face competition for the right-back, if they choose to chase his signature, with Manchester United also reportedly interested in the defender.
#4 Trevoh Chalobah
Another player who can replace Azpilicueta at Chelsea is the Blues' very own breakthrough star of the season, Trevoh Chalobah.
It's been an unforgettable start to the season for the Chelsea academy graduate. The 22-year-old scored on his Premier League debut and has gone on to feature six times in all competitions for the Blues, scoring another crucial goal against Southampton last week. He has featured against some of the toughest opposition, playing in the UEFA Super Cup and Champions League.
The youngster is yet to have a poor game since breaking into the first team and has shown that he can occupy a number of positions in Tuchel's system.
Chalobah has mainly played as a right-sided centre-back in the back three, while recently he also played at the heart of the midfield alongside Kovacic against Juventus. His pace and ability on the ball also makes him a good option to play in the right-back or right wing-back position whenever required.
Chelsea possibly have a ready-made replacement for Azpilicueta, helping the club save millions in the transfer market.
#3 Valentino Livramento
Chelsea fans were left bitterly disappointed when the club's 2020-21 Academy Player of the Year, Valentino Livramento, decided to leave on a permanent transfer. The youngster was sold to Southampton for approximately £5 million and since then he has gone on to become an integral part of the Saints defense.
The 18-year-old has started all the league games for Southampton so far and was even impressive against Chelsea last week, winning a penalty and looking solid in defense.
Livramento, however, did hint that he could return to Chelsea in the future. When asked about a potential return to Stamford Bridge he said:
"Maybe one day, but I'm just enjoying my football at the moment at Southampton, that's where my head's at right now. Just trying to pick up as many points as possible and improving individually."
Chelsea have a buy-back clause inserted into Livramento's contract, which becomes active in 2023. Azpilicueta will be 33 years old by that time and therefore Livramento could be a perfect replacement for the Spaniard.
#2 Jules Kounde
One of the leading transfer sagas during the summer was Jules Kounde's potential move from Sevilla to Chelsea. Although the Blues pushed hard to land the 22-year-old, they were unable to reach an agreement with the Spanish side. Reports state that Sevilla raised their asking price at the last moment which stopped Chelsea from pursuing the deal.
The Frenchman is widely regarded as one of Europe's most promising defenders. He has been a key part of Sevilla's defense in recent years, helping them win the 2019-20 Europa League while also achieving back-to-back fourth placed finishes in La Liga.
Like Azpilicueta, the former Bordeaux man is an extremely versatile defender and can play as a right-back, a centre-back or also as a wing-back. This means that the Frenchman could really dazzle in Tuchel's 3-4-3 system.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will make a move for Kounde in January, with his attributes making him an ideal replacement for the club captain.
#1 Reece James
Easily the most likely replacement for Cesar Azpilicueta at Chelsea will be none other than the Blues' very own academy starlet and England international, Reece James.
Breaking into the first-team setup under Frank Lampard, James has become an integral member of the senior squad and has been performing brilliantly for the Blues since then.
The 21-year-old has gone on to make 90 appearances for Chelsea since making his debut in the 2018-19 season, registering four goals and 11 assists during that time. He also played a key part in Chelsea's Champions League win last season under Thomas Tuchel.
Traditionally a right-back or right wing-back, James has also been deployed on the right side of the back three on a couple of occasions and has performed well. His versatility has proven to be quite effective for Tuchel at Chelsea so far.
If James continues to perform like he has done so far, Chelsea don't need to look elsewhere to find a long-term replacement for Azpilicueta.
