Chelsea to be warned by FA following bust-up vs Leeds United . (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
According to Daily Mail, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is set to match Matthijs de Ligt to become one of the world’s highest-paid defenders once he seals an exit next year.
Antonio Rudiger has been phenomenal for Chelsea in the past few seasons. Last season, his defensive work assisted Chelsea to win the Champions League trophy by toppling Manchester City in the final. This season, the German helped to keep a clean sheet in 7 games while making 14 appearances in the Premier League.
Indeed, Rudiger has become one of the world’s top defenders on the basis of performance in this season. However, Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt remains the highest-earner when it comes to the wage bill. It seems the German defender would be able to bridge the gap after joining a new club.
Rudiger has recently been linked with Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Bayern Munich and Juventus. These Elite teams have the capability to place a lucrative deal once we enter January. It is believed that Rudiger is in pole position to attract a deal near £400,000-a-week and such a massive amount would see him more or less equal de Ligt’s payslip.
The former AS Roma is one of the leaders in this Chelsea team’s defence. He has become a vital cog in the wheel for Thomas Tuchel and potentially losing him for nothing would add salt to the wound.
It would be a massive task for the West London team to find a reliable defender that can match the quality of Rudiger at this moment, but it should not be impossible- whether they do it within the team or in the market.
The recent growth of Trevoh Chalobah has provided some stability to the team. The Cobham graduate could cover up for the losses for some time. However, Blues should target viable alternatives in the market and start planning for the aftermath of Rudiger’s departure.
It is wise to remember that Rudiger wasn’t hitting these heights under Frank Lampard. Similarly, Tuchel can work his magic to give us a solid option in the backline if we do search for viable alternatives.
The eye-watering wage requirements quoted above would make more sense for us if Rudiger was a bit younger. But he turns 29 this March and paying that amount to a central defender into his 30s may not be the most financially sound thing our club can do.
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