Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has praised defender Antonio Rudiger’s influence and feels he is doing everything he can to secure a new contract at the club.
RudigerThe 28-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge from Rome in the summer of 2017 and signed a five-year contract. He’s close to finishing the fourth of those and will be out of contract at the end of 2021-2022. The German international has played 145 games in all competitions and 97 in the league.
But he lost favor with Frank Lampard earlier this season and barely appears in the league. The former Stuttgart goalkeeper played in the Champions League, but Tuchel’s arrival ushered in a change of fortune.
He is now a regular starter in the top flight and has only missed five of 27 games during his compatriot’s tenure. It looked like it might be on its way this summer, with Bayern Munich said they were interested.
But now the chances are high that the central giant will extend its stay in West London. Tuchel has made no secret of the fact that he wants Rudiger to stay and feels like his football is talking.
“Nothing is better than what you are doing for a new contract,” he told reporters on Monday. “If he wants to have a new contract, he has our full support to stay at the club. Talk to their performances; It has been amazing from day one.
Rudiger has an immediate impact
Tuchel arrived in January after Lampard’s departure and has managed to turn things around. Saturday’s FA Cup final loss to Leicester City was a setback, but now they can focus on the Champions League final.
That comes to the end of the month, with Manchester City between the Blues and glory. Before that, there is the task of trying to qualify for next season’s elite club competition.
They face the Foxes once again on Tuesday and need to win to hold off a resurgent Liverpool. Rudiger is likely to re-anchor the defense.
And Tuchel confessed that he had no doubts about the selection of the Berlin-born ace from the start.
“We chose him in the first match after just one day of training. It was an unfair decision against Kurt (Zouma) but he (Rudiger) is German and had a clearer idea of what he can do, of course, because I have followed him more than Kurt Zouma.
“He had a clear idea of what he can offer a team and he took the opportunity. Since then it is well deserved that he is in the team. He’s an aggressive leader, he has this natural aggressiveness in him.
“He hates losing, he is difficult to beat in duels, he is very brave and full of energy in his defense. He’s leading by example and has a very positive aggressiveness about him.
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