There`s a lot of concern at Stamford Bridge right now as Thibaut Courtois is refusing to extend his contract with Chelsea. It`s well known that the relationship between the Belgium international and the club was a strange one right from the beginning. The keeper’s arrival as a 1st pick was somewhat forced and even led to Cech’s departure which is still considered one of the biggest mistakes the club made in its recent history.
It looks like this season has made the 23-year-old question his future. According to SkySports, Courtois is not the only one having doubts which is the most worrying thing. The club is not doing anything to address a new contract for the keeper publicly yet that is not to say that they are negotiating behind the scenes. Here is what Courtois had to say:
“I do not say ‘Yes’, I do not say no. I do not know: I still have three years on my contract. We must see what Chelsea want. It is true that it [this season] has changed me. Until now I had always won a trophy every season. We hope that next season will be better. Especially mentally, you have to be strong. But with my character, and having grown up in a family of top athletes, I do not have too many problems with it. I never doubt.”
Courtois also commented on the way training sessions go down and hinted towards the fact that the Premier League is a bit too demanding: “The level of training is higher among Devils,” he said. “There are only world-class players [here], while at Chelsea, there are some players a little less rated and we often train with youngsters as well. “We have matches every three days, no winter break, there are many cup matches,” he said. “The pace is high and the contacts are tough.”
Hopefully this is just a phase and the changes that will go down this summer will convince Courtois that Chelsea is the club to be at. Losing him after selling Cech would be a massive blow for the Blues.