In a recent report, Sport mentioned that Barcelona are set to sign Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta this summer. It has been claimed that the Catalan giants are about to land the Spanish talent on a two-year contract.
Azpilicueta’s Decent Numbers At Stamford Bridge Last Season
Azpilicueta had a solid season with Chelsea last season when he put in several impressive performances on the right side of Thomas Tuchel’s defence. The 32-year-old featured in 47 matches for the Blues in the previous campaign, finding the back of the net on three occasions and earning three assists in all competitions.
The Pamplona-born talent gave a good account of himself by averaging 1.9 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 2.3 clearances and 0.6 key passes per game in Premier League football. He even took care of the ball when distributing possession from the right flank after completing 85.7% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
What Will Azpilicueta Bring To Barcelona?
Azpilicueta is a solid tackler of the ball and can read the danger quickly to earn the ball back for his team inside his half. He doesn’t hesitate to put his foot through the ball when required and has got the vision to create a few decent chances for his teammates in the opponent’s half. Azpilicueta is primarily a right-back but can even serve as a centre-half or as a right-sided wing-back if required.
However, father time is slowly catching up with the Spaniard’s game. Still, he is good enough to serve as a decent squad player at the highest level.
A full-back of Azpilicueta’s experience and leadership will be an excellent acquisition for Barca in this off-season. He will bring more bite and steel to Xavi‘s defence at the Nou Camp. At 32, the Spanish sensation might still have a few good seasons left in him to play at his best.
Azpilicueta has what it takes to help the Catalan giants compete for some major trophies once again over the next couple of years. Thus, Barcelona should be happy about getting the Chelsea star on board on a short-term deal this summer.
