‘I won everything, maybe it was time to go’

The final pieces in this season’s team puzzle are starting to be put into place, writes Paul Lagan.

A striker, defender and midfielder are sought at SW6 and co-owner Todd Boehly is getting close to landing all three.

But they will cost.

A surprise package is ex-Arsenal man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who will leave Barcelona for London if the price is right.

And that deal could be sweetened by the sale of Christian Pulisic to Newcastle.

The move to nab Wesley Fofana from Leicester City is close at hand – an extra £10million add-on to the £40m already offered for the Frenchman should give the head coach the centre-back cover he desperately needs.

The rumblings of Frenkie de Jong for £68m just won’t go away.

Barcelona see him as a bit of a cash cow and they are desperate for cash to allow them to register the players they have already signed.

Marcos Alonso will follow next week. Cesar Azpilicueta had hoped to follow Alonso to Barca, but was persuaded to stay at Chelsea instead.

Speaking after the 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday, the skipper said: “I am really happy. Of course, it has been a crazy last few months. It felt right to carry on my journey here in a new project. It’s true that it is a very rare situation. I was out of contract until March. I played the games [to trigger a one-year renewal] but the club was still under sanctions.

“My actions spoke for themselves. I stayed committed to the club, I played the games and that’s even though I didn’t know what was going to happen. The new owners arrived and we had very honest conversations. I decided that it was right to stay at home.”

Was it a tough decision to turn Barcelona down?

He said: “Yes, the conversations were there [with Barcelona]. All surrounding the club. After the Club World Cup where I became the only player to ever win every trophy, [I felt] it was the time to go back [to Spain]. But then everything happened with this club. I wanted to stay committed to the club. I never did anything against my club.

“We had private conversations where I said everything. We had players leaving and all around that was like this. I have never been in a transfer market situation in 10 years.

“For a period I was a free agent and who knows what could have happened in that period? The decision to leave came after Chelsea won the Club World Cup.

“Of course, it was a turning point at the Club World Cup. I tried so hard to win this trophy,” he said.

“My last trophy so I could be the only player who has won every trophy for the club. At that moment, I felt differently.

“At that moment, it was like wow! I have won everything for this club so maybe a new chapter arrives.

“But I had a meeting with the owners. They wanted me to stay here to lead the team both on and off the pitch.”

Picture by Paul Lagan: Cesar Azpilicueta