Thibaut Courtois has reiterated his desire to return to Spain in the future, but has no plans to leave until the end of his Chelsea contract.
The Belgian goalkeeper is now the undisputed No. 1 at Chelsea, after the Blues allowed their iconic goalkeeper Petr Cech to move to bitter rivals Arsenal last summer. However, the 24-year-old doesn’t seem to be too keen on spending his entire career at Stamford Bridge.
Courtois has now added further fuel to the fire by stating that he longs for a return to Spain, where he spent three seasons at Atletico Madrid on loan from Chelsea.
“When I left Spain, I knew that I would return one day,” said Courtois, in an interview with Spanish publication Marca. “I have a contract with Chelsea for the next three seasons. In 2018, when I’m in the last year of my contract, I’ll evaluate whether it makes more sense to stay or to go.”
During the interview he also called himself ‘half-Spanish’. He further stated that he was in love with the entire country and its culture, and not only his former club Atletico Madrid.
Courtois enjoyed a trophy laden three-year stint at Atletico and the young Belgian keeper emerged as one of the finest in Europe. He was an integral player for Los Rojiblancos, helping them win the Europa League in 2011-12 and the Copa del Rey in 2012-13.
His final season at Atletico was the most successful, as the gritty underdogs won La Liga and made it to the Champions League final in 2013-1. Jose Mourinho and Chelsea came calling soon after, and his first season back with the Blues saw him lift the Premier League title as well.
However, things turned sour last season as Courtois was ruled out with injury for three months in September and endured a shaky few months till the end of the season after his return. The Belgian is understandably restless at the lack of European football, but Chelsea will not want to lose their No. 1 keeper any time soon.
