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Former Chelsea right-back Glen Johnson has urged his former club to keep their 'fantastic' club captain Cesar Azpilicueta next season. Johnson, who formerly plied his trade at right-back for clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United, has called on the Blues to renew the contract of their skipper.
As things stand, the 32-year-old looks destined to depart Stamford Bridge this summer with his £150,000-a-week contract set to expire. Chelsea are yet to convince their skipper to sign a new deal and La Liga giants Barcelona are reportedly looking to offer the Spaniard a move back to his homeland.
Johnson has urged the Blues to address the Spaniard's contract situation as soon as possible given the uncertainty around other players in their backline. Johnson said:
“I would [offer him a new contract], yeah. You see the thing is, especially when [Antonio] Rudiger and [Andreas] Christensen’s futures haven’t been sorted yet. You can go and sign another player but you can’t go and sign another player with that experience who’s going to be happy around the camp.”
Azpilicueta has been quite the regular in the starting XI this season despite Thomas Tuchel's extensive rotation policy. He has made a total of 27 appearances for the Blues across all competitions this campaign. Johnson commented on the Spaniard's professionalism and said:
“He’s not going to play as much as he wants but most players would kick their toys out of the pram but this guy doesn’t. I think for the dressing room he’d be good to have around the youngsters as well. I think he’s been fantastic.”
He added:
“I don’t think he was the player they were trying to sign in terms of a flying full-back but he’s super versatile, he’s a super professional. He doesn’t moan when he’s not playing and plays anywhere along the back four or back three and players like that are hard to come by.”
Azpilicueta has enjoyed a successful tenure at Chelsea
Azpilicueta joined Chelsea from French club Marseille in 2012 for just £7 million and the deal has so far proven to be a huge coup from the Blues' point of view.
The Spaniard has played over 450 games for the Blues. He has lifted a total of eleven trophies, including both the Europa League and Champions League as captain.
During his ten years at the West London club, Azpilicueta has been an epitome of consistency as well as versatility.
The Spaniard has played across the backline for the Blues over the years and has performed well in every role assigned to him. On top of that, he is a model professional and a perfect role model for younger footballers.
It makes absolutely no sense for Chelsea to lose the 32-year-old in the summer especially on a free transfer.
