Cesar Azpilicueta's departure to Atletico Madrid leaves Chelsea with a lack of leaders

When Cesar Azpilicueta arrived at Chelsea in 2012 he walked into a dressing room packed with iconic club figures.

‘When I came, I was lucky to have JT and Lamps and, even though they didn't wear the armband, Ashley, Didier, Petr,’ he once recalled.

Eleven years later, he will depart Stamford Bridge and return to his native Spain and Atletico Madrid having secured his own place in Chelsea folklore just like some of those illustrious names who first greeted him.

A full set of trophies won from the Carabao Cup to World Club Cup, multiple positions played and a rise that started with him learning from some of the best leaders around to becoming one himself and Chelsea captain.

At just £7m Azpilicueta has proved to be a snip of a signing and in the conversation for one of the best they have made, certainly based on value for money.

At one stage he would also have been in the discussion about the best defenders in the Premier League having shown his ability in a variety of roles.

He joined as a right back from Marseille, ended up taking the left-back place of one of the all-time greats in Ashley Cole and was then crucial as one of the central defenders in Antonio Conte’s successful back three, before eventually returning to more familiar territory.

A striker and right winger in his younger days, having then dropped back to become a defender perhaps Azpilicueta’s ability to shift around the pitch effortlessly should have come as no surprise.

And he performed to such effect during his Chelsea career that Jose Mourinho once said famously: ‘Azpilicueta is the kind of player I like a lot. I think a team with 11 Azpilicuetas would probably win the competition (Champions League) because football is not just about pure talent.’

He joined Chelsea the summer following their 2012 Champions League triumph and nine years later did win the competition in Porto, captaining Chelsea to their triumph over Manchester City.

With his professionalism, work ethic and consistency, Azpilicueta helped set standards as captain and spoke about the leadership lessons he learned from the big names at the club when he joined.

‘I always felt from their behaviour on the day-by-day basis you can tell they were helping you,’ he explained in 2018.

‘Sometimes not even saying anything, but just with their eyes. They made me understand what it was to play for Chelsea, for the fans, the whole club, it is something that as soon as you come in you take it and you feel it.’

His influence and impact on the pitch may have faded in more recent years but he had still developed into such an important senior figure that Chelsea’s owners wanted to keep him on last summer amid interest from Barcelona, make use of his know how and be someone who could offer an element of consistency at a time of major upheaval and transition at Stamford Bridge.

But this summer he will depart and increasing the size of the leadership void left behind that will be in stark contrast to the environment Azpilicueta found at Chelsea over a decade ago.

A by-product of the squad turnover over the last year, Mauricio Pochettino will not have anything like the outstanding choice of established leaders and captaincy options to call on that Chelsea once had.

Thiago Silva stands out but is not a long-term option, Kepa Arrizabalaga has worn the armband on a stand-in basis though not convinced between the sticks though Ben Chilwell told Mail Sport that he feels he is developing into more of a leader within the group since he returned from injury and Raheem Sterling has been a captain for club and country.

Reece James has been earmarked as a future Chelsea captain while Frank Lampard highlighted January signing Enzo Fernandez’s leadership qualities during his caretaker stint.

With the age of Chelsea’s squad continuing to be lowered, their next long-term captain maybe one who has to grow into the role. Azpilicueta showed how that is done.