Paris Saint-Germain Target To Rope In The Chelsea Defender: Can Tuchel Afford To Lose Him? | OneFootball

According to a recent report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, French giants Paris Saint-Germain have stepped up their efforts to sign Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger in the summer transfer window. The Chelsea defender’s contract expires at the end of this season and is understood to be a potential target of Paris Saint-Germain for free and it is believed that the Blues defender has been offered a €7 million-a-year contract.

Antonio Rudiger Rock Solid Under The Management Of Thomas Tuchel

Since Tuchel took over the Chelsea job, Antonio Rudiger has been a key player for him in the defence. Rudiger was also instrumental in Chelsea’s UCL win last season where they kept a lot of cleansheets including one against Manchester City in the finals.

After having a difficult start to his Chelsea career, the German international has now cemented his place in the side and is a key part of Chelsea’s outstanding defence which has kept a lot of cleansheets with Rudiger on the pitch. The German connection of Rudiger and Thomas Tuchel is working wonders for the club and the results are clear on the pitch as Chelsea have conceded only 16 goals in 21 Premier League matches.

Antonio Rudiger is a leader on the pitch alongside Thiago Silva with lots of experience under his belt which has helped Chelsea be a strong defensive side. It hasn’t been easy for teams to break Chelsea down and Rudiger’s presence has had a huge influence on it. He has proved that he is aerially strong and can also play out from the back and help Chelsea’s build-up play.

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 19: Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea applauds fans after their sides draw during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on December 19, 2021 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency: Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/) and Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/).

Can Chelsea Afford To Lose The German International?

Entering into the final year of his contract this season, it is believed that Chelsea are having difficulties in meeting Antonio Rudiger’s wage demand. It will not be unusual to think that the German might look for a different challenge next year after spending 5 seasons with the club in London. But on the other hand, he is seen as a key player of the club which is destined to win more trophies after already being crowned the European champions last season.

Rudiger’s excellent performances have not only made the Chelsea team strong defensively but have also made them compete for major trophies. He has shown that he can win aerial duels against tall forwards as well as keep up the pace with pacy attackers. When in the opponent box, Rudiger has shown that he has an eye for a goal, already scoring 8 times for the club.

All these qualities in him are indispensable to this Chelsea squad and they shouldn’t let him go at any cost since being only 28, he still has a lot of years to give to the club. Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen are also in their final year of the contract and losing their core defenders in one season will be a huge blow for Chelsea.