Pedro Rodríguez

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Chelsea are still waiting to find out whether or not Willian and Pedro will sign contract extensions to play for the club past June 30 with the pair worried over what will happen if they suffer serious injuries.

Telegraph Sport understands both players are open to the prospect of signing extensions to the end of the season, but progress has been held up over what would happen if either player sustained an injury that could leave them without a club.

It means that with just over a week to go until Chelsea restart their season against Aston Villa, head coach Frank Lampard is unsure over whether or not he will be able to count on two of his most experienced players.

Willian and Pedro are both out of contract in the summer and have been the subject of interest from clubs in England and in Europe.

While the duo are keen to play out what may be their final seasons at Stamford Bridge, there is also concern over what would happen if they suffered an injury that prevented them finding a new club.

One solution would be for Chelsea to include clauses in any temporary extension that would guarantee them another short-term extension if they suffered an injury that prevented them joining a new club in the next transfer window.

But, given it has not been decided when the next transfer window will open and how long it will run for, the club would understandably be reluctant to make any such commitments.

Further complicating the situation of Willian has been the fact that Chelsea made what they believed to be a very good offer of a two-year extension to his deal only for the Brazilian to request three more years.

Signing a two-year contract would alleviate any of the fears the 31-year-old has over the threat of sustaining an injury during Chelsea’s run-in to this season.

Willian has attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, while Pedro has held talks with Roma - and Valencia have shown an interest in the former Barcelona man.

Negotiations with Willian and Pedro will continue, as clubs have until June 23 to reach an agreement with players whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the month.

But Lampard will hope to have some clarity from the pair as soon as possible. Other than Willian and Pedro, he has Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount to choose from in wide positions.

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Frank Lampard making plans for life at Chelsea without Willian and Pedro in case duo depart

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/06/16/frank-lampard-making-plans-life-chelsea-withoutwillian-pedro/

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has been making plans in case Willian and Pedro Rodriguez do not extend their contracts past June 30.

With less than a week to go before players whose contracts are due to expire at the end of this month must sign temporary extensions to take them to the end of the delayed season, Chelsea are yet to receive clarity on the intentions of Willian and Pedro.

That means Lampard has had to use this mini pre-season ahead of Chelsea’s first game back against Aston Villa on Sunday to make plans in case the pair decide not to play on.

Players have until June 23 to sign temporary extensions, otherwise they will not be able to play on after June 30. That means Willian and Pedro will certainly be available for the Villa game, plus the visit of Manchester City and the FA Cup tie against Leicester City.

But Lampard is having to give consideration to a scenario in which he could be without the pair for the seven Premier League games after that and has tested a number of players in their positions.

Lampard has fit-again Christian Pulisic and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi who can comfortably step in for Willian and Pedro, while midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s return offers him further options.

Mason Mount has played wide left on a number of occasions this season, while Loftus-Cheek has himself been used in forward positions in the past and underlined his goal threat with a brace in the friendly against Queens Park Rangers.

Lampard has been careful not to allow Chelsea to give away too many clues from their training sessions and games, but it is understood players have been rotated heavily in the wide positions.

Willian has previously claimed he would be happy to play out the remainder of the season with Chelsea, even if he leaves the club in the next transfer window. But he and Pedro are yet to commit themselves amid suggestions that the duo are concerned about what would happen if they sustained injuries over the run-in.

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have shown an interest in Willian, who took part in a number of unapproved interviews regarding his future after flying to Brazil during the coronavirus lockdown, while Roma and Valencia have held talks over a move for Pedro.

Losing two of his most experienced players for the run-in, with Chelsea competing for Champions League qualification and the FA Cup, would be a blow to Lampard but the club can do little more than wait to see if Willian and Pedro sign up.

Further complicating negotiations over this season has been the fact that Willian rejected Chelsea’s offer of a new two-year contract, insisting he wanted a three-year extension.

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

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1 minute ago, Blues Forever said:

 

Well, that's unfortunate.....

[Yeboii 1,844]

Guess that is why Livramento was getting into first team practice.

[Pizy 17,861]

Can't blame him but yeah, that's unfortunate for us. If Willian does the same it'll really be a blow. Especially if Willian does so and then joins one of our rivals. 

[Rapkun 668]

If we lose both Pedro and Willian, it would seriously hurt our chances for Champions League football. We really needed the whole squad.

[Atomiswave 6,072]

Thats not so good all things considered and could well bite us hard, he is well entitled to do that now that he is off to Roma. Willan will follow suit only matter of time now. Bloody hell lets for gods sake not blow top 4 finish. I dont want thursday night footy in Khazakstan bazakstan etc etc.

[Rapkun 668]

5 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

Thats not so good all things considered and could well bite us hard, he is well entitled to do that now that he is off to Roma. Willan will follow suit only matter of time now. Bloody hell lets for gods sake not blow top 4 finish. I dont want thursday night footy in Khazakstan bazakstan etc etc.

I still have hope Willian will try to finish the season with us considering he's been here longer than Pedro and probably cares more about the club, but we're close to deadline now and his agent will do everything to convince him not to.

[Atomiswave 6,072]

3 minutes ago, Rapkun said:

I still have hope Willian will try to finish the season with us considering he's been here longer than Pedro and probably cares more about the club, but we're close to deadline now and his agent will do everything to convince him not to.

Yeah makes sense...fat chance he is here till the last game. I bet JM has been in contact with him for spurs.

[Vesper 27,383]

9 hours ago, Blues Forever said:

 

Exclusive: Pedro unwilling to play for Chelsea after agreeing Roma move

https://theathletic.com/1877942/2020/06/17/pedro-chelsea-roma-transfer-premier-league/

Pedro is unwilling to finish the season with Chelsea because he has agreed terms with Roma to play for them in 2020-21 and does not want to put the move at risk.

Sources have told The Athletic that Pedro has finalised a two-year deal with the Serie A club, which includes an option for another year. He will be paid in the region of £56,000 a week.

The former Barcelona forward’s current contract at Chelsea runs out at the end of this month, but Chelsea have been trying to convince him to agree a short-term extension so he can play their remaining matches, which stretch into August. Chelsea have nine fixtures in the Premier League, an FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester and the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich.

The latter, which will be held on August 7 or 8, isn’t so important as Bayern boast a 3-0 advantage from the first leg in February. But Chelsea need a strong squad to help them qualify for Europe’s elite club competition again via the Premier League, as well as trying to win the FA Cup — the final of which takes place on August 1.

Special dispensation was put in place for players whose deals were expiring on June 30 because of matches being postponed for more than three months due to the pandemic.

Willian is in the same situation at Stamford Bridge, but neither the Brazilian or Pedro have put pen to paper and time is running out. All temporary agreements have to be completed by next Tuesday. Both players have been involved in Chelsea’s preparations up until now, however coach Frank Lampard has been looking at other options to play out wide before the club’s first match of the restart away to Aston Villa on Sunday. Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount could all play in the wide positions against Villa should one or both of Willian and Pedro refuse to play.

It is believed Pedro does not want to sign anything with Chelsea. He is reluctant to play for the club again for fear of picking up an injury and missing out on a payday worth £2.9 million a year in Rome.

Pedro, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona for £21.4 million in 2015, turns 33 next month and sees the switch as not only financially beneficial, but provides him with an opportunity to still play at a high level for a few more years.

Roma want to add a player of his experience — Pedro has won 25 major honours for club and country — to their squad to help them qualify for the Champions League in 2021-22. They need someone to do a similar job to that of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who is currently on loan at Roma from Arsenal but has been able to play only 13 times in Serie A for them due to injury.

Pedro has held talks with clubs for several months, including Valencia and MLS outfit Inter Miami. It was clear from a very early stage that he would be allowed to leave Chelsea as a free agent at the end of this season.

He has scored a credible 43 goals in 201 appearances for Chelsea, but has started just eight times under Lampard in the Premier League. He was a key part of the squad which won the Premier League in 2017, the FA Cup a year later and the Europa League 13 months ago.

It will take a late U-turn for the situation to change and for Pedro to feature for the club again.

There is a bit more optimism over Willian, however. The Athletic has already reported he is prepared to keep playing until the season comes to an end. The 31-year-old significantly started and scored in a 7-1 friendly win over QPR on Sunday.

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Think we will need a few Pedro clutch goals in this run to the end.

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48 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Fiuhh, if they don't sign we are doomed

[King Kante 1,330]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

 

Love it when people say this man knows what is going on. Just 2-3 days ago he said he wasn't going to agree 😂😂