Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has urged the club to come to an agreement over the future of Antonio Rudiger.
Chelsea could
be on a collision course with boss Thomas Tuchel over the future of defender
Antonio Rudiger – with the German boss urging the club to tie down the ex-AS
Roma ace.
Rudiger has
evolved into a key player under Tuchel after previously being on the periphery
at Stamford Bridge under Frank Lampard.
But the
28-year-old is now in the final 12 months of his contract with the Blues – and
negotiations appear to have stalled in recent weeks.
Thomas Tuchel has
Chelsea to keep Antonio Rudiger (Image: GETTY)
His form over the past year has a host of European heavyweights
on red alert over a free switch next summer, with Bayern Munich, Paris
Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all monitoring the situation. Chelsea’s Premier
League rivals Tottenham also remain keen admirers.
The failure to strike a deal has lead to Tuchel directly getting
involved, with the Blues boss reportedly urging the Stamford Bridge hierarchy
to strike a deal over Rudiger’s future.
And failing to do so could see Chelsea risk the wrath of their
boss, who has a history of clashing with his employers.
Tuchel’s time at Borussia Dortmund came to an abrupt end due to
a number of disagreements over transfers, and it was reported at the time that
the German was not on speaking terms with Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim-Watzke when
he departed.
His relationship with the hierarchy at his club prior to that,
Mainz, was also left in tatters.
That doesn’t bode well for the Blues should they fail to heed
his demands over Rudiger.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has shown in the past that he can
be equally ruthless – and potential a collision between the pair is unlikely to
end well for anyone.
Blues defender Cesar Azpilicueta has already given a hint that
players have felt Tuchel’s wrath with his comments following their first half
performance in the 3-0 win over Tottenham.
“He [Tuchel] was not happy, we were not happy with our
performance,” the Chelsea captain told Sky Sports after the game. “Even though
we were able to arrive around the box we did not shoot on target, they created
a few chances where we could have conceded.”
Tuchel himself has admitted that he can be emotional in the
dressing room – and that could be set to blow over into the boardroom if a
resolution over Rudiger can not be found.
“Can I be a shouter? Yes, if it is necessary, I can be totally
emotional and a shouter if I have the feeling this is the moment to do it and
to surprise you,” said Tuchel earlier this year when discussing his demeanor.
“If I do it all the time nobody will listen because it becomes a
habit and everybody gets used to it, so the goal is to stay unpredictable.
“It is important to me to build trust and a relationship that we
can rely on and not shouting at people and insulting people in front of a group,
that is unacceptable.
“This will never change. I don’t do stuff to be loved by
everybody in the dressing room.”
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