Former Chelsea Star Reveals Why He Turned Blues Contract Renewal Down
Willy Caballero has revealed why he decided not to extend his contract with Chelsea by a further year.
The 39-year-old departed earlier this summer at the end of his deal but he had the option to continue in west London for the 2021/22 campaign.
After the arrival of Edouard Mendy, Caballero was competing with Kepa Arrizabalaga for the back-up role and didn't want to continue being the third-choice goalkeeper under Tuchel.
(Photo by Ruben Albarran / PRESSINPHOTO)
He decided the time was right to leave the club this summer, and despite not finding a club yet after a trial at Brentford, the Argentine is confident he made the right decision to look for minutes elsewhere.
What Willy Caballero said
"Some people didn’t understand why I turned down a contract as a third goalkeeper," he told Goal. "I believe I am playing at this age because I have always been motivated.
"As a third goalkeeper last season, I found it really tough. It was my first season as a third-choice goalkeeper. I was losing my motivation at Chelsea. I believe for this reason to not renew with Chelsea, to try to find a new challenge to keep that passion alive inside."
(Photo by PA Images/Sipa USA)
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What else he did he say?
Caballero was full of praise for Tuchel, hailing the positive impact that the German made which saw the Blues go onto win the Champions League.
"I think a lot of the guys didn’t expect the season to end in such a big success," Caballero added.
"We started with (Frank) Lampard and finished with Tuchel. At the start of the journey, we weren’t so strong. (Tuchel) always was optimistic, positive and his explanations to every player was perfect.
"He also has a very good group of staff. His staff works really well and they are close with the players and talking with them. The players were happy going to training and this can be difficult in a big, big club. You can spend the season playing or not playing; you could miss your targets and it becomes tough."
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