Chelsea FC Make Mistake With Branislav Ivanovic Extension

Chelsea FC have announced that fullback Branislav Ivanovic has signed a new contract extension

Chelsea FC continued their usual habit of limiting 30-year-old players to one year extensions as Branislav Ivanovic will remain with the squad for the upcoming 2016-17 season. The fullback has been at Chelsea for eight years now and has found great success with the club at all levels, having won multiple domestic and European trophies.

Unfortunately, this season and perhaps even last season as well, has seen Ivanovic become a bit of a liability for the Chelsea side. He had his moments during the Premier League title winning campaign but the cracks were beginning to show. Never known for his pace, Ivanovic seems to have lost even more than a step or two and is now being victimized by speedy wingers.

The Serbian has always been a key player in Chelsea FC’s attacks and continues in that role, having provided two assists in the last two matches, but his weakness at the back is hurting the team as a whole. The Chelsea defense has been notoriously leaky this season and even the untrained eye can see that much of the opponent’s goals from Ivanovic’s side of the pitch.

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Perhaps this is a sign of things to come for the club as they sit near the bottom of the Premier League table. The new stadium renovations will be a major drain on the club’s coffers and missing out on Europe next season will be a huge blow as well. However, even a team that looks like it will not be participating in European football next season can certainly do better than a 32-year-old former center-half at fullback.

There is talk among the supporters that Ivanovic should move to centerback to replace John Terry and take on the captain’s armband but that does not seem like it will be an upgrade at the moment. What the club needed to do was to thank Ivanovic for his service to the club and move on to a younger and better option at the position.

If the club is planning on keeping him as a squad player for leadership purposes, he is the vice-captain after all, then the move makes a bit more sense. The supporters may mutiny if the Blues come in to 2016-17 with Ivanovic as the first-choice rightback, especially with options such as Cesar Azpilicueta, Nathan Ake, Andreas Christensen, and Ola Aina all waiting in the wings for their chances to play that position.

The Chelsea FC board appear to be oblivious to the calls of the supporters for a squad overhaul as they seem more content to offer extensions to veterans and loaning out youngsters than bringing in someone who will actually improve the team. The fans must hope at this point that Ivanovic will indeed be demoted to squad player and that serious reinvestment in the squad will happen in the summer.

At least the Blues will be able to mount a serious title challenge without the “distractions” of Champions League or Europa League football next season. Ideally they will do so with several fresh faces in the first-choice XI.

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