Here are your Chelsea evening headlines for Wednesday, 25 March.
Pedro admission
The Spanish winger, who has made more than 200 appearances for Chelsea over the last five years, has announced that he won’t be prolonging his stay at Stamford Bridge
Pedro has played infrequently this season as Frank Lampard has looked to take the club in a new direction, prioritising younger players who can be part of a long-term project.
The 32-year-old doesn’t fit into this plan and, with his contract set to expire in a few months, he has confirmed that this will be his last season at Chelsea. His destination is still undecided.
“I’m terminating my contract, but right now it’s not the most important thing, nor have I stopped to think about it,” Pedro said on Spanish radio network Cadena SER.
“From there on what has to do with my future will come, but right now it’s not the most important thing when you don’t even know when you’re going to train again.”
Chelsea tipped to sign Coutinho
Coutinho’s move to Barcelona in January 2018, for a staggering £142million fee, hasn’t gone to plan, with the Brazilian currently on loan to Bayern Munich.
He was one of the Premier League’s star players during his time at Liverpool, but struggled to make the same impression in Spain.
Coutinho has been in and out of the team during his loan spell at Bayern, who don’t seem too keen to extend his stay.
Despite a host of English clubs, including Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool, linked with a move for the 27-year-old, he has reportedly been offered to Chelsea, and would help provide much-needed creativity.
Courtois swipe
The Belgian goalkeeper became one of the world’s best during his time at Chelsea, but believes that has career has stepped up a level since moving to Real Madrid.
Courtois completed his move in the summer of 2018, and despite struggling to demonstrate his best form on a consistent basis, he seems to be enjoying life at the Bernabeu.
In an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad he made a series of comments outlining how things have changed for the better since leaving Chelsea.
“In training, you see that the level is high. I am now experiencing on a daily basis that Sergio Ramos is the best centre-back in the world,” said Courtois.
“The level [at Real Madrid] is higher than at Chelsea. [The Bernabeu} is twice as big [as Stamford Bridge], of course, it’s a very different feeling.”
