Chelsea’s longest-serving player Tomas Kalas completes club-record transfer to Bristol City for £8m

CHELSEA’S longest-serving player Tomas Kalas has joined Bristol City in a club-record £8million deal.

Kalas, 26, spent nine years at Stamford Bridge but made just four appearances in that time.

The Czech Republic defender spent last season on loan with the Robins, featuring 41 times in all competitions for the Championship club.

Now, after struggling to break through for the Blues, Kalas has signed a four-year contract at Ashton Gate, following Jay Dasilva out of Stamford Bridge.

City head coach Lee Johnson said: “We saw last season the qualities he brings and Tomas is exactly the type of player we want to build our team around.

“Not only is he a fantastic footballer but someone with a winning mentality.”

Kalas joined Chelsea from Sigma Olomouc for £5.2million in 2010 and was immediately loaned back to the Czech outfit.

He then spent two years out on loan at Vitesse for 2011-13 and then a spell with German side FC Koln in 2014-15.

Middlesbrough were his next destination for the 2015-16 season, making a total of 43 appearances in all competitions.

Seasons 2016-17 and 2017-18 were spent at Craven Cottage with Fulham, with Kalas enjoying arguably his best spell of football last season with Bristol City.

It proved enough to tempt him to end his lengthy spell on Chelsea’s books and head on over to Ashton Gate.

And the £8m the Robins have coughed up is more than the previous record of £5.3m they paid for Famara Diedhiou from Angers in 2017.

Kalas would have due a Chelsea testimonial at the end of this season – which would have marked the end of a decade as a Blue.

That means that the longest serving player on a pro contract at Chelsea is now Cesar Azpilicueta.

The Spaniard joined the club in August 2012 from Marseille and has proved to be one of their best ever signings as well as taking the captaincy.