Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta: It’s not been a normal day at Chelsea after sanctions were imposed on the club
Speaking to Premier League Productions as quoted by the Mirror, Spanish centre back Cesar Azpilicueta has revealed that it’s ‘not been a normal day’ at the club following the sanctions imposed by the UK Government on Roman Abramovich and Chelsea.
Russian businessman Roman Abramovich saw his assets frozen by the UK Government last evening, which in turn affected the London-based outfit. The Blues have seen bans on contract renewals and transfers, as well as selling tickets to matches at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel‘s side took on Norwich City in the Premier League last night and emerged 3-1 winners on the night. However, the noise around the club has taken centre stage, especially with Three suspending their sponsorship agreement with the club following the developments.
In light of these developments, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has been the first player to share his thoughts. The Spanish centre back has conceded that it has “not been a normal day” for the Blues but claims that there is nothing they can do about it.
“I have to admit that this has not been a normal day. We cannot control this matter”
What next for the club?
However, the defender added that the team was trying to concentrate only on the game ahead of last night’s clash and not be impacted by the external noise.
“We come here & we’re focussed on the game & we know we have to fight for the three points. We have to forget about the stuff that is happening outside.”
Could Azpilicueta be leaving?
Following the latest developments at Stamford Bridge, Azpilicueta’s future along with a few other players could be in limbo. The 32-year-old Spanish ace has been on the books of Chelsea for more than a decade and with his contract expiring this summer, the Blues were trying to get him to pen down a new deal.
Now, with the sanctions, Chelsea cannot renew the contracts of any players which put the futures of Azpilicueta, Christensen and Rudiger in doubt.
If all three players were indeed to leave, Chelsea will have a dearth of centre back options going into next season with only Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva in their ranks. If the sanctions are not lifted, then the Blues will also not be able to sign any new players for the club in the summer.
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The current situation has left Chelsea in a bit of turmoil. They will be hoping to wade out of these shaky waters as soon as possible and sort the issues out. Until then, Thomas Tuchel and his men will have to shut out the external noise just like Azpilicueta said, and concentrate on the football that lies ahead of them.