“Chelsea? All I can say is that Antonio Conte is a great coach,” Antonio Rudiger told Sky Italia back in January after the Blues had shown interest in the German defender. “But I chose to stay with Roma. We’re fighting on three fronts and we have to win a trophy.”
Fighting on three fronts ultimately came to nothing for Luciano Spalletti’s men, dumped out of the Coppa Italia by cross-town rivals Lazio, finishing a predictable second to Juventus in the league and defeated by Lyon in the Europa League round of 16.
A season without a trophy in Rome and having been the subject of a racial slur from Lazio’s Senad Lulic, it is perhaps unsurprising that the 24-year-old has been more open to a move this time around. Sky Italia report that a €33m deal – plus €5m in bonus payments – has now been agreed, with the player set to sign a five-year contract worth £4m per season at Stamford Bridge.
Rudiger remains on international duty at the Confederations Cup, but the move is said to have been hurried through as the Giallorossi look to comply with UEFA Financial Fair Play stipulations imposed by the July 1st deadline. The capital club will now be hoping that new Sporting Director Monchi will be able to work the same kind of magic that he did at former side Sevilla as he will now be looking to source a quality replacement for the rock-solid defender.
Over at Chelsea, Antonio Conte will now get the chance to work with a player he has highly coveted since his tenure in the Premier League began. Reports had indicated that Blues scouts were in attendance as Roma beat Conte’s former side Juventus 3-1 at home in the penultimate match of the season, and they were clearly impressed with what they saw.
Strong in the air, Rudiger completed all four of his headed clearances, and won three out of five aerial duels against the team that comfortably won their sixth consecutive Scudetto last term. He had a 100% record too in tackles and blocks, and was not responsible for the solitary goal scored by the Bianconeri.
Whilst it must be said that his defensive statistics have dropped off slightly since last season – an average of one interception per game as opposed to 1.5 in 2015/16 and 3 clearances instead of 3.2 – the accomplished centre back had also successfully battled back from an ACL tear suffered just before Euro 2016.
The injury was sustained during the German squad’s first training session, but Rudiger battled back to fitness, making his comeback for Roma in late October. The player certainly demonstrates the same cool demeanor off the field as whilst on the pitch, his maturity a key factor in what has made him such a hot prospect in the transfer market since his arrival from VfB Stuttgart in summer 2015.
When Rudiger – who was born in Berlin – was accused of “selling socks and belts in Stuttgart two years ago” by Senad Lulic, he responded with a level of maturity beyond his 24 years. Lazio defender Lulic had refused to apologise, clarifying his comments by declaring “white people sell socks too.”
Of course, Rudiger had never been a street-seller and after also being subjected to monkey chants from opposing fans, the defender himself spoke out about the problem just a month ago.
“Racism is a serious issue here,” Rudiger said to Bild. “Incidents like the ones with Benatia and me simply happen too often in this country and that is why something must happen now. If the Italian Federation won’t do anything then FIFA must act. It is easy to come up with the ‘No to racism’ campaign but when you don’t do anything concrete then that doesn’t help.”
Leaving these troubled times behind him, Antonio Rudiger now embarks on a new chapter in his so-far impeccable career as he moves to Stamford Bridge. Antonio Conte is well-rehearsed in dealing with accomplished defenders, and so it looks like his new acquisition will fit right in.
