Ben Chilwell has described his decision to join Chelsea from Leicester City in 2020 as a "no-brainer" ahead of his return to the King Power Stadium this weekend.
The 26-year-old, after months of speculation, finally agreed to sign for the Blues in August 2020 in a deal worth up to £50million. After coming through the academy system at Leicester, Chilwell still had an emotional connection with the club but he knew as soon as Chelsea came calling, then it made perfect sense for his career trajectory.
Now, almost three years on, Chilwell has established himself as a significant member of the Blues' first-team under three different head coaches. Ahead of his return to the Foxes on Saturday, Chilwell was asked about how difficult the decision was to leave the club and despite it being a "no-brainer" for him, the difficulties that came with the move.
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Chilwell told Parimatch: "It's kind of surreal. I've been at Leicester since I was like 12 years old, so Leicester was my home. I was very comfortable there. I knew everyone: the manager, the players, the chefs, the cleaners. I knew everyone at the training ground, and I knew the city.
"So it was kind of difficult leaving that environment where I was so comfortable, but I knew for myself and my career that I needed a new challenge. And with Chelsea, what the club is, the brilliant players they have, the manager, and the trophies that the club wants to win year in, year out.
"For me, it was a no-brainer to come here and challenge myself again and push myself onto the next level and just keep improving. And, you know, it was like I said, it was a very sad day when I left Leicester. But then, the day I came here and met everyone, it was it was a great day for myself and my family, a very proud day."
Chilwell recently returned to first-team action after months on the sideline with a hamstring injury he suffered in November. It was the latest in a long line of injury problems the England international has struggled with since joining the club and it meant he missed the Three Lions' World Cup campaign in Qatar.
However, in the last two games – against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund – especially, Chilwell has looked back to somewhere near his best. The left wing-back set up Wesley Fofana's header on Saturday in the win against Leeds and while it won't officially go down as his assist, he set up Raheem Sterling for the opening goal against Dortmund in the win that took them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
"It was a very difficult season last year with playing so well, scoring lots of goals, defending well, being involved in what was at the time a very successful campaign, and then obviously I got my long-term injury and was out for around seven or eight months," the Chelsea defender said. "It's football, it happens. Everyone gets injured and I kind of had the mindset as to how I would deal with it and bounce back.
"So yeah, that was basically where my mindset was. I just worked hard every day to make sure that when this season arrived, I was ready and could help the team again."
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