Cesar Azpilicueta, a veteran defender, will be an even more crucial player for the Blues, according to former Chelsea star Willian.

During his ten years at Stamford Bridge, Azpilicueta has amassed every significant trophy that has been offered.

Despite his influence at Stamford Bridge, he was on the verge of leaving Chelsea in the summer to sign with Barcelona.

Azpilicueta's continued affiliation with the team makes Willian happy, and the Spaniard can contribute significantly as Chelsea changes ownership and managerial structures.

A Boehly-Clearlake consortium bought Chelsea from long-time owner Roman Abramovich earlier in the year, while former Brighton boss Graham Potter has replaced Thomas Tuchel as manager.

Asked about the widespread changes at Chelsea, Willian told The Athletic: “I couldn’t believe it when this situation happened."

“For me, when you talk about Chelsea, you just see Roman and Marina [Granovskaia]. It’s been difficult for everyone inside the club.

But this is where Cesar Azpilicueta will help. He is a very good player, an important one for the club. He’s been there for 10 years. With his experience, he can help the young players that play there at the moment.

“He knows what to do in this situation." Chelsea is a big club, one of the best in the world. Every year, Chelsea are fighting for something, even if they change a manager.

“They are always there. In the seven years I was there, I had Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, and Frank Lampard. It has almost become normal. But it didn’t stop us. We always fought for something. "