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Chelsea transfer news: Blues criticised for contract clause failure
CHELSEA should have ensured Thibaut Courtois’ family moved to England when he signed for the club.
Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois records goalkeeper training
That is the opinion of former Liverpool and Wales striker Dean Saunders.
Courtois is linked with a summer move away from Chelsea, with Real Madrid a possible destination.
The Belgian goalkeeper’s family still live in Madrid after his three-year loan spell at Atletico between 2011 and 2014.
talkSPORT presenter Georgie Bingham could not understand why Courtois’ family did not follow him to London when he became Chelsea No 1 in 2014.
When you sit down and sign him and you sit in the room, you say ‘we’re going to give you £150,000-a-week. We do expect your family to come over here'
And Saunders agrees, claiming there should have been a clause in the 26-year-old’s contract to ensure he does not get homesick.
“You’re right, Georgie. It’s the least he can do,” Saunders said.
“When you sit down and sign him and you sit in the room, you say ‘we’re going to give you £150,000-a-week. We do expect your family to come over here so you’re not saying to us you’re homesick. We do expect that’.
“You expect them to move. There’s a clause in your contract where you have to live 16 miles from the ground, something like that.”
Real Madrid will sign De Gea or Courtois, says Shay Given
However, Saunders understands it is different for managers, who often have a shorter shelf-life at clubs than players.
“As a manager you’re going to get sacked after six games if you don’t win,” he added.
“Would you buy a house if you were a manager now? If you’re the manager of Swansea you’d just take a caravan with you, park it outside the Liberty.”
Courtois is currently participating in the World Cup with Belgium, who face Japan in the last-16 on Monday.