It was during the January international break that I wrote a piece for football.london which focused on Cesar Azpilicueta's future at Chelsea. My view was the Spaniard, a club legend and one of the finest defenders to have played in the Premier League, should be allowed to walk away at the end of his contract.
The reasons why were myriad. And I stand by many of them. However, the Chelsea of March 2022 – and beyond – is very different to the Chelsea of January 2022. It's why previous convictions must be revisited and reflected upon. Why attitudes towards players and their futures can change.
Over the last two months, Azpilicueta has completed his trophy haul at Chelsea. The Club World Cup was the only piece of silverware missing but thanks to victory over Palmeiras in February, the 32-year-old has won it all with the Blues. It is a remarkable feat, one the likes of Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba couldn't manage.
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"It is an amazing achievement," Cech, now Chelsea's technical and performance director, stated last month. "All the credit goes to him. When he arrived in 2012, he came first to compete for his spot. He had a long-term injury the year before, so he had had a difficult time before he came to us. He had to start from scratch fighting for his place.
"He is one of those players who never disappoints you. He works hard, he does everything. He is an honest player on the pitch. Off the pitch, he works hard. You know you can rely on him in any situation. That is the key to his success. No matter which manager was in charge, they all knew they could count on him, his attitude, and his qualities. Now he has the huge reward of lifting these trophies as a captain."
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has been equally as enamoured with Azpilicueta since arriving at Stamford Bridge 14 months ago. "He is maybe the perfect example to describe a person as a leader – he is doing it in good times and bad times," the German said after last week's Champions League victory over Lille, a game in which Azpilicueta scored the winner.
"If he is a regular starter or not. If he is playing a wing-back, which is maybe not his best position, he is there. He lives what it takes to be a Chelsea captain. We do not need extra, extra at the moment. We just need reliable teamwork and a reliable spirit."
Azpilicueta is just that: reliable. He has been at Chelsea for 10 years. Right-back, left-back, centre-back, right wing-back, the Spain international has never let the Blues down. And since becoming club captain in the summer of 2019, his quiet leadership has proved invaluable, on and off the pitch.
It's why I'm now firmly of the belief that Chelsea should keep Azpilicueta for one more season. His influence, his dependability, and his assured manner are all going to be needed in the months ahead as the Blues begin to adapt to life without Roman Abramovich as owner.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a series of events that eventually led to Abramovich deciding to sell the club and being sanctioned by the UK government and the European Union. Chelsea have been impacted by the latter situation while the former continues to rumble on.
Raine Group, the New York investment bank overseeing the sale of Chelsea, are expected to confirm their preferred bidders in the next 48 hours. The process then moves onto the Blues and the Premier League, which will have to evaluate offers on the shortlist put forward. The UK government will also have to amend the special licence the club are working under to allow a sale.
Nobody can be entirely sure of what the club looks like after Abramovich. There will be changes; that is inevitable. Whether these are good or bad will only be discovered in time. But the hope among supporters is Chelsea can remain competitive, that the squad continues to perform and win trophies.
That is why Chelsea must not lose Azpilicueta to Barcelona this summer. It is he who will not allow standards to slip among the playing staff and can influence off-pitch matters in his role as captain. He is a natural bridge between the old and the new, the glorious recent past and the hopeful future.
