Why Chelsea are right in handing a new deal to Antonio Rudiger
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea are in talks with defender Antonio Rudiger over a potential new contract that would see the German stay at Stamford Bridge until the end of 2023.
Rudiger, 27, has firmly established himself at the heart of the Blues defence. Since joining from Italian side AS Roma in the summer of 2017, the £100,000-a-week star has already made 105 appearances for Chelsea.
He has also become one of the first names for the German national team under Joachim Low and his impressive performances have also caught the attention of German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, as per the report.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard has done a decent job with Chelsea in his first year at Stamford Bridge. But he still needs to bring in reinforcements to the key areas if Chelsea are to challenge at a higher level in various competitions next season.
While their attacking unit has fared better with Tammy Abraham doing an excellent job of leading the line, the defence has not been up to the mark. Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Fikayo Tomori and Rudiger are the only centre-backs available at the manager’s disposal.
Earlier in the campaign, when the German ace was injured and out of action for several months, Lampard tried to get the best out of Tomori and Zouma by making them his first-choices in defence. But they failed to repay the faith as they became error-prone. Denmark international Christensen was also given his fair share of opportunities but he failed to make the spot for himself.
The Blues lost 5 of their 15 league games without Rudiger in the team and his return to the starting XI has been a huge boost to the squad. Chelsea have lost just 3 games since the former Roma man’s return and they are currently 4th in the league standings. Thus, it is the right decision taken by the club to hand him a new contract.
The German defender has made a career appearance of 328 games and his experience would surely be a benefit for the team for a few more years. He has been in fine form for the past two years and at 27, he still has a lot to offer for the Blues.
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Verdict
Apart from the 27-year-old, Chelsea have young and inexperienced centre-backs in their ranks. Therefore, a new contract for Rudiger is the right decision by the club as he can help with his qualities until his time is up at Stamford Bridge.
