Chelsea have completed the signing of German centre-back Antonio Rudiger from AS Roma in a £34 million deal
Chelsea have made an official announcement to confirm the completion of Antonio Rudiger’s summer transfer. The Premier League champions have signed the Germany international on a five-year deal that saw them shell out £34 million to AS Roma.
Rudiger went from strength to strength during his time at Roma, where he initially moved on loan from Vfb Stuttgart before making the deal permanent. The player firmly established himself as a key first-team player in Luciano Spalletti’s side with his strong performances at the back.
In particular, Rudiger was especially impressive last season as he showed little signs of the gruesome knee injury that kept him out of Euro 2016 to shore up Roma’s defence over the course of the campaign. In all, he made 36 appearances in all competitions for the Giallorossi, making an impression with his tough tackling style of play.
May I introduce you my old and new number: 2⃣! ???? #AR2 #Hustle #AlwaysBelieve #WelcomeRudi @ChelseaFC @premierleague pic.twitter.com/PUoYpqtFEl
— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) July 9, 2017
Rudiger also finally got the chance to represent Germany in a major international competition, as he helped the World Champions clinch the Confederations Cup earlier in the month. The 24-year-old, though, has now called time on his spell at Roma by joining Chelsea this summer.
While taking the next step in his career is believed to be his primary reasons for making the switch to Stamford Bridge, Rudiger was also keen to leave Italy after coming on the receiving end of racial abuse on several occasions.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte had been eager to make a central defensive reinforcement this summer in order to continue building up the Chelsea squad in his image. The Italian manager had, thus, been eyeing Rudiger for a long time, having also watched him extensively during his managerial spells in Italy.
The Premier League champions have now completed his signing in a £34 million deal, with the player putting pen to paper on a five-year contract. With pre-season set to commence soon, Rudiger’s first appearance in a Chelsea shirt could come in a friendly against Arsenal in Beijing.
The German defender could potentially be the perfect solution for Conte’s back-three, with his abilities on the ball as well as his tough tackling ways. As far as Rudiger is concerned, strong performances with the Blues in the forthcoming season can also help him cement his place in the German national side.
It now remains to be seen if Rudiger can continue his development in an impressive fashion at Stamford Bridge to become as key a member for Antonio Conte as he had been for Roma in the last two years.
