Gary Cahill appears to have performed a U-turn on his January transfer plans, with the experienced defender hinting at seeing out the season at Chelsea.
Having struggled for regular game time, the 32-year-old has admitted to having considered his future options.
A winter exit from Stamford Bridge was expected for a man eager to see as many competitive minutes as possible.
Cahill has, however, come back into favour under Maurizio Sarri of late, due to the injury issues of others, and started his most recent outing against MOL Vidi in the Europa League.
With Chelsea having made a positive start to their quest for continental silverware, a former winner of that competition is considering staying on for another shot at glory.
Cahill told reporters: “We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself, ‘I want to do that again’.
“This year, we are in the Europa League and we will try to win this. For me, it’s just about getting out there playing as much as I can.”
If Cahill does decide to remain in west London, then he will drop into the free agent pool next summer.
He is in the final year of his contract with Chelsea and is not expected to agree an extension.
A fresh start elsewhere certainly appeals to the ex-England international, but he is eager to achieve as much as possible with the Blues before heading elsewhere.
Cahill added: “I’m ambitious in everything I do. That is never going to change. I’m excited to see how far this team can go.”
Chelsea are yet to taste defeat this season and have collected eight wins from their 10 outings across all competitions.
Liverpool and West Ham are the only sides to have denied them victory, with a 17-point return in the Premier League seeing them sat third in the table.
Sarri’s side have also taken maximum points from two Europa League fixtures and are safely through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.