The Antonio Rudiger plot thickens.
Christ, I feel as though we have been rambling around Rudiger’s contract negotiations for months! – Oh wait, it has been months.
Just give the man the money!
I was previously against succumbing to the German’s demands, but now there are rumours that he wants to stay at Chelsea. There’s nothing better than having a person who is committed to the badge and is happy with their current team predicament.
Having become the most reliable player in our backline, I believe that it’s the least that Marina Granovskaia can do. For peace and harmony and clean sheets… give the man his money.
There is no denying that Antonio Rudiger has been the rock in the backline that Thomas Tuchel has found favour in. He trusts the German more than any other considering his consistent string of starts, even when fringe players are bought into the backline.
His improvement over the last year has shut up all the critics and has peak the interest of other clubs including Bayern Munich.
It is reported that Rudiger is looking for a £10m yearly salary and the German giants are ready to give him what he is seeking with Chelsea.
Let’s do the maths here. Considering that we let Rudiger go on a free transfer, we would probably need to spend £50 million on another defender, let’s say Jules Kounde, and still have to pay his salary demands. Or we could give a proven Premier League defender that has been crucial to this Chelsea team £10 million and be on our way for another season.
The preservation that many Chelsea fans have is that Rudiger is a system player at best. We have watched him play in a back four and not be as effective as he is in a back three. If (God forbid) Thomas Tuchel leaves the club, what will be next for Rudiger?
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To my understanding, planning for the future is our best bet. Bringing in a Jules Kounde for £50 million is safe planning as he is just 23 years old. However, there is no telling if Tuchel will leave the club any time soon. Nor is there any telling whether Rudiger would be able to play perfectly well in a back four considering his revival this year.
There are still players on our payroll who need to be looked at and tougher decisions need to be made. Danny Drinkwater for example. He earns an average yearly salary of £6,240,000 whilst Rudiger, a first-team player earns £5,200,000.
I think a pay rise is fair… don’t you?
Would you just give Rudiger 200k a week or sell and replace him? Follow our CareFreeChelsea writer Anita Abayomi on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section.