Cesar Azpilicueta signs new four-year Chelsea deal to ‘keep the club where it belongs’

Defender signs up to 2022 to take his service to Chelsea to a decade

Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta has signed a new contract until 2022 (AP)

Cesar Azpilicueta has signed a new four-year contract in order to “keep Chelsea where it belongs” after committing his long-term future to the Premier League club.

The current Chelsea captain in the absence of Gary Cahill has extended his deal at Chelsea through to the end of the 2021/22 season, with the club confirming the news on Tuesday morning ahead of tomorrow’s visit to Wolverhampton Wolves.

Should the Spain international see out his new contact, he will take his stay at Stamford Bridge to a decade after joining the club in 2012 for £7m from Marseille, and he hopes to help the Blues to more silverware in the near-future after enjoying a trophy-laden stay so far.

“I am really happy to extend my stay here at Chelsea,” he told the club’s official website.

“Since I came, I felt the joy and responsibility to play for this club, these fans, and every time I go on the pitch I try do my best. Hopefully there is a lot to come and we can keep Chelsea where it belongs.”

Azpilicueta has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and the Europa League since arriving in London, while he was Chelsea’s player of the year in 2014.

“Cesar is one of our longest-serving players and has proven to be a fantastic acquisition over the past six years,” club director Marina Granovskaia added.

“His professionalism and consistency in that time have been second to none and he has also developed into one of the squad’s most influential players.

“This new contract will take Cesar to 10 seasons at Chelsea, and we hope that over the next four years he will be a key part of our success.”

Apilicueta has captained Chelsea in the Premier League this season (Getty)

Azpilicueta played every minute of Chelsea’s 2016/17 title-winning season, a record he has kept up so far in the current campaign too.

Additional reporting by PA