Chelsea Veteran Cesar Azpilicueta Set to Join Atletico Madrid
Cesar Azpilicueta will be making a return back to playing in his homeland after leaving the La Liga in 2010.
Atletico Madrid are set to announce the signing of veteran defender Cesar Azpilicueta from Chelsea. Reports suggest that the Spaniard has passed the medicals after joining the club on a free transfer. It is said that Azpilicueta will sign a two-year deal with Los Conchoneros.
The 33-year-old is said to have been in advanced talks with Atletico since last week. Despite having a year left on his contract, Chelsea have sanctioned Azpilicueta’s exit as part of the agreement between the two clubs, and as a sign of recognition for his 11 years of service at Stamford Bridge.
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César Azpilicueta has completed the main part of medical tests in Madrid as he becomes new Atlético player on two year deal. ⚪️🔴🏁 #AtlétiAs revealed on Friday last week, Atléti entered the race when deal was almost done with Inter and convinced Azpi.
Here we go confirmed. ✔️ pic.twitter.com/Yowe9ZaVlJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 6, 2023
The versatile defender will be leaving the Blues after making 508 appearances, winning two Premier League titles, two Europa League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and the Champions League in the process.
This will be Spaniard’s return back to La Liga, ever since he left Osasuna for Marseille in 2010.
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Chelsea acquired Azpilicueta from Marseille for an absolute bargain and a mere seven million euros in the summer of 2012.
His departure comes across as one of many that the club has been sanctioning as a part of their rebuild under new manager Mauricio Pochettino. He joins the likes of an extensive list of players such as N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kai Hacertz, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Eduoard Mendy, who have all left the Blues this summer.
Chelsea though will most definitely have to fill a large hole in the dressing room, as the veteran captained the squad for several years on end and provided the dressing room with invaluable experience.
We are bidding an emotional farewell to a Chelsea great.Thank you for everything, @CesarAzpi. 💙 pic.twitter.com/wHDcALJX5m
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 6, 2023
But, the doors are also now open for Pochettino to appoint a new captain and figure out the new direction in which wants to head towards. Following a disappointing season last season, to say the least, the club will be aching to bring about immediate and effective change for the better.
Under the new leadership of Todd Boehly, the team experienced record-low points, fewer goals scored and poor morale this past season. The Blues finished at a measly 12th position in the league as they failed to reach 50 points in a Premier League season for the first time in their history.
Despite their abysmal run, the club remained aggressive in the transfer market bringing in new talent by the truckloads to no avail. Now, the task falls upon Mauricio Pochettino to analyze and address the issues faced by the team, and to lead them into a new era.
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