Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel lifts lid on his ‘unfair’ Antonio Rudiger decision

Thomas Tuchel previews Spurs v Chelsea

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Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has been given a leading role since compatriot Thomas Tuchel arrived at Stamford Bridge in January. And his form has helped the Blues become Premier League title challengers once again.

Rudiger had fallen out of favour under previous boss Frank Lampard and had been linked with a move away from the club.

But after Lampard was dismissed, Rudiger’s Chelsea career was resurrected by Tuchel, who instantly handed him a place in the Blues starting line-up.

The player went on to star in a revigorated backline as Chelsea lifted the Champions League trophy in May.

Tuchel paid tribute to Rudiger ahead of May’s final against Manchester City and admitted the decision to name the Germany centre-back in his very first starting team back in January was unfair on team-mate Kurt Zouma.

“He has been amazing since day one,” gushed Tuchel. “We chose him in the first match after just one day of training.

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“It was an unfair decision against Kurt but he’s German and I had a clearer picture of what he can do, of course, because I’ve followed him more than Kurt Zouma.

“I had a clear picture of what he can deliver to a team and he took the chance.

“Since then it’s well-deserved he is in the team. He is an aggressive leader. He hates to lose, is hard to beat in duels, is very brave and full of energy in his defending.

“This is what we like. When he can channel all this into top performances, as he does now, we are all very happy to have him.”

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Rudiger has been in fine form once again this season, with Chelsea conceding just one Premier League goal in their opening four matches.

Tuchel’s side kept another clean sheet on Tuesday night as they began their Champions League defence with a 1-0 victory over Zenit St Petersburg.

But Tuchel faces a battle to keep Rudiger at Stamford Bridge, with the player’s contract set to expire next summer.

The 28-year-old hasn’t put pen to paper on a new deal yet and has rejected the west Londoners’ latest offer of £140,000 a week, according to The Metro.

His form has alerted the attentions of Europe’s powerhouses and Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich are all apparently keen to land the centre-back for free next summer.

Tottenham are also said to be interested but the player’s preference is to stay where he is – as long as Chelsea are willing to give him the contract he feels he is worthy of.

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