Antonio Rudiger will be leaving Stamford Bridge on a free transfer as no new terms have been agreed in west London.
A little about the topic
The German player took the lid off the question of why the Blues hadn’t agreed on a new contract, with Rudiger preparing to link up with Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer. Antonio Rudiger is saying goodbye to Stamford Bridge after five seasons with over 200 appearances alongside the FA Cup, Europa League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. At times the German defender has been a mascot presence for Chelsea, but his spell in west London has not been matched and a new challenge in the Heavyweight League will be taken over from 2022-23.
What did Antonio Rudiger say?
Antonio explained why no agreement was reached, that unfortunately his contract negotiations had already begun to get complicated last fall. “Business is business, but when you do not hear any news from the club from August to January, the situation becomes more complicated,” said the German. According to Antonio Rudiger, there was a long gap after the first sentence, just nothing. The defender says they are not robots. They cannot wait several months with such uncertainty about their future.
Obviously, no one saw the sanctions coming, but in the end other big clubs showed interest and he had to make a decision. Antonio will leave it at that, because business is aside, he has nothing bad to say about this club. Chelsea will always be in his heart. London will always be his home.
Rudiger came here alone and now he has a wife and two beautiful children. Antonio also has a new brother for life named Kova. He has the FA Cup, the Europa League and a Champions League medal. Of course, Rudiger has hundreds of memories that will stay with him forever. According to the German player, he leaves this club with a heavy heart. For Antonio, this meant everything. Even this season, with all the complications, has been enjoyable.