After being left out of the team for a while, the German international aims to get his spot back in Chelsea’s roster.
Antonio Rudiger mentioned his drive to get back in the Chelsea starting team. The German refused to move to a different club during the summer transfer season.
Rudiger signed to Chelsea for £29 million from Roma in July 2017. Subsequently, he made 116 appearances for the club across all competitions scoring six goals.
The German international aided the Blues to FA Cup and Europa League victory. While he also boosted Chelsea from the back to finish fourth in the league last season.
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old did not play yet for Frank Lampard’s side at the beginning of the new season. Moreover, the summer signing of Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma helping Chelsea in the defensive line did not help Rudiger.
Furthermore, big clubs like PSG, Milan, and Tottenham connected with Rudiger during the transfer months. Although, the move did not conclude before the deadline.
High hopes.
The veteran center-back admitted that he did not accept two opportunities to stay at Chelsea. He told the Athletic: “The club didn’t tell me that it was absolutely necessary for me to find a new club and that they definitely didn’t have me in their plans for the next few months.
“I also turned down one or two options myself. I wasn’t prepared to pack it all in simply because I had been left out a few times. I enjoy living in London and like being at Chelsea.”
Rudiger added: “Naturally, I looked at a couple of options in the two weeks before the end of the transfer window. There was a possibility of a loan deal, in order for me to get more game time. Due to many different reasons and the shortage of time, nothing materialized in the end.”
Additionally, the former Roma defender is representing his country at the moment. Germany managed to draw 3-3 vs Switzerland in the Nations League fixture on Tuesday.
Rudiger will hope to feature in Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Southampton this weekend.
“It is what it is now. I will accept it for the time being and try to show myself in every training session,” he said. “We are in many different competitions, it’s two games per week all the way from now. Sometimes in football, things can change very quickly. That’s why I will continue to give my best every day and try to convince the manager.”
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