Antonio Rudiger has admitted he has performed a U-turn on his Chelsea future and is now eager to stay at the club after trying to force his way out in the summer.
Rudiger fell out of favor with manager Frank Lampard last season following a string of underwhelming performances.
Having found himself at the bottom of the pecking order, the 27-year-old defender was hell-bent on leaving Stamford Bridge.
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea’s cross-town rivals Tottenham were heavily linked with a move for the ex-Roma man throughout the summer.
Indeed, Spurs seemed to be a step away from landing Rudiger before the German decided to pull the plug on the deal. Afraid of a potential backlash, he opted to turn down the prospect of joining Jose Mourinho’s side.
Rudiger also found himself at the fringes of Lampard’s team at the beginning of this season. He was not part of the squad in any of Chelsea’s opening nine Premier League fixtures.
But, his situation has changed as of late, as he had ‘positive talks’ with Lampard. After that, Rudiger has featured in three consecutive games for the Blues in all competitions.
“I’m satisfied with how the situation has developed in the past weeks,” he said following Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United, as per the Metro.
“Now I see myself as a permanent part of the team.
“I had a tough time, so I also checked other transfer options, but I received positive signals from the coaching team.”
Rudiger has also played a pivotal role in convincing Timo Werner to pick Chelsea among many options he had when leaving RB Leipzig in the summer.
He has also reflected on how quickly the lightning-fast forward has managed to adapt to the new environment.
“The league has accepted Timo really well,” Rudiger added.
“Timo integrated into the team and the league very quickly.
“He can use his speed very well, causes defenders huge problems, and exudes confidence all the time.”
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