This time last year Frank Lampard and the Chelsea hierarchy would hardly have been concerned by the fact three of their defenders had contracts expiring in 18 months’ time.
Antonio Rudiger had started just one of Chelsea’s opening 15 league games in 2020-21, with Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta starting four in that time.
Much like Marcos Alonso, the trio were out of favour under Lampard, who had taken a shining to a back four of Reece James, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma and Ben Chilwell.
Lampard had his favourites, but the results weren’t favourable, and that prompted a managerial change which led to a mighty shake-up, with Thomas Tuchel bringing in a new formation and offering Chelsea’s outcasts a reprieve.
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The trio are free to talk to overseas clubs from January, while the fact 37-year-old’s Silva contract also expires in the summer means Chelsea have some work to do in this department.
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Rudiger is arguably the primary concern. The 28-year-old has emerged as one of the league’s best centre-backs, but stalling contract talks have reportedly prompted Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to monitor the situation closely.
The German centre-back is said to be on £90,000-a-week and turned down a £140,000-a-week offer in August with a view to earning closer to £200,000.
Rudiger, it would appear, knows his worth in a Chelsea side where Timo Werner and Kai Havertz are reportedly earning almost triple the amount, and Real are now deemed frontrunners to prise the defender away from Stamford Bridge.
Pre-contract talks can begin in January, at a time where Chelsea are continuing their assault on four fronts, having progressed in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, while that will soon be five when they travel to play in the Club World Cup.
It could make for an unwanted distraction, and while Tuchel will try to deal with on-field matters it has been a regular theme for him to address in recent press conferences.
“We need a bit of patience,” Tuchel said earlier this month when asked about Rudiger’s situation. “We absolutely accept and are fully aware of the importance of Toni and the role that he’s playing on and off the pitch. There is no doubt about that.
“It’s true that nobody is bigger than the club and this is a team effort and a strong club. It’s not only about Toni and I mean that in the best way because we know what he’s doing and we’re fully aware of it.”
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Meanwhile, Azpilicueta has been linked with a summer move to Barcelona, and though that would bring the curtain on a 10-year Chelsea stint, The Athletic claim he is determined to stay and fight for his place.
As for Christensen, Tuchel opted for the novel approach of dropping the Dane to try and convince him to extend his contract.
“We have the hope that it influences the contract situation a little bit,” Tuchel said last month. “As I understood it the club wants the same, the player wants the same, the coach wants the same: to stay. That’s why we need the commitment and then we can continue.”
While uncertainty lingers, the questions will keep coming for Tuchel, but all he can do is hope director Marina Granovskaia and co can work behind the scenes to ensure the best outcome for all involved.
Losing Silva may be the most expected, although there are talks another one-year extension is in the offing.
While Chelsea will no doubt have ready-made replacements in mind, numerous defensive departures could prove disruptive, and arguably makes positive contract talks the priority to ensure their progression under Tuchel does not grind to a halt.
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