Thibaut Courtois says he wants to establish himself as one of the world’s best goalkeepers at Chelsea and expressed regret that “misconstrued” comments have made supporters question his commitment to the club.
Speculation surrounding Courtois’ future has intensified since March, when he gave an interview in Belgium that suggested he was considering a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, with Real Madrid cited as long-term admirers.
Courtois subsequently insisted that he would stay at Chelsea, but further uncertainty was raised by reports of tensions with goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon, reinforced by interim manager Guus Hiddink admission that the two men were “different personalities.”
Antonio Conte brought in Gianluca Spinelli to work with Courtois in place of Lollichon this summer and the 24-year-old has now sought to dismiss any doubt over his desire to stay and prove himself at Chelsea.
“I am very happy at Chelsea and want to stay,” Courtois told the London Evening Standard. “I will try to show in every game that I am one of the best keepers in the world.
“I know that I didn’t have the best of seasons but there are things that I have said in Belgium which have been misconstrued in England. It unfortunately has given the supporters the wrong impression.
“It has put me and Chelsea in a bad light, that’s not good. I have never said I wanted to leave or anything. When it looks like I’m being put against the supporters, it’s not nice.
“Am I upset the fans have the wrong impression of me? Yes, of course. I don’t want them to think bad of me. In preseason I showed the quality I have. People may have had doubts about me.
“But I think in the Euros for Belgium I showed I am one of the best and I want to continue showing that. My objective, together with the team, is to get back to winning the League and show that Chelsea are one of the best sides in the world.”
Chelsea begin their Premier League campaign at home to West Ham on Monday, and Courtois — who was sent off in last season’s 2-2 draw with Swansea City on the opening day — is hoping to begin on a more positive note after the worst season of the Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge.
“They are a really good team and I expect a lot of them this season,” Courtois said of West Ham. “It is a very, very hard game to start with.
“It is very important we get off to a fast start to the league. After what happened last year, we need a good opening three-four games before the international break. We will then have something to build on and have some positive energy in the club.”
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