Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly drawn up a preliminary shortlist of candidates to inherit captaincy from Cesar Azpilicueta. The 32-year-old defender faces an increasingly uncertain future at Stamford Bridge with his contract set to expire at the end of next season.
Azpilicueta featured 25 times for the Blues in the Premier League last term, keeping eight clean sheets. Despite the Spain international's best efforts to lead by example, he struggled to impress and often looked out of his depth.
With Malo Gusto arriving as fresh competition for Reece James at right-back, Azpilicueta has been heavily linked with an exit from west London. And, after 11 fantastic years at Chelsea, he now looks set to join Atletico Madrid on a free transfer.
Azpilicueta's potential exit would follow the departures of Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount, who all once wore the captain's armband. Pochettino recognises that the Blues could lack leaders, so he's called for his players to step up.
In his first interview as Chelsea manager, the 51-year-old said: "We need leaders, not followers, in every single area and we will push every person to bring their best and give their best for the club.
"If we are all together, we are going to be very strong. We have an unbelievable squad and for sure are going to bring players with commitment who want to be part of it also. With the fans and everyone, we can find again the way to be successful."
According to the Evening Standard, Pochettino will make a final decision on his new captain towards the end of pre-season once he's established a stronger relationship with his players. However, the Argentine already has some candidates in mind.
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The report states that Thiago Silva is a 'clear frontrunner' to takeover having previously taken the armband in Azpilicueta's absence last season. The Evening Standard have also outlined Kepa Arrizabalaga, Raheem Sterling and Reece James as other candidates for the captaincy role.
Azpilicueta has been an excellent servant for Chelsea over the years, and his potential departure would mark the end of a rollercoaster era.
