Chelsea have signed German defender Antonio Rudiger from AS Roma for a fee of around £34 million. The 24-year old central defender becomes the second major signing made by the club this summer following the free transfer for former Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
Player with huge potential
Rudiger is considered as one of the brightest young defenders in entire Europe. He has developed into a great central defender during his time with Roma.
His recent displays in FIFA Confederations cup has once again proved his growth and he could become a world class centre back in the coming days as he has the potential. He moved to Roma in 2015 from Bundesliga club Stuttgart and has played an impressive 72 games for the Italian club in the last two years. He was initially taken on a one year loan in 2015 and the move was finalized only last summer for a €9 million + €0.5m bonuses.
Premier League is the next big challenge for the defender and he is expected to be prominently featured in Conte’s back three next season. His box to box style of defending and his physicality makes his game well suited to the league.
Speaking after the transfer, Rudiger said: “It’s a great feeling because not every player has the opportunity to join a huge club like this.
“I am looking forward to meeting up with my new teammates and I’m very proud to officially become a Chelsea player.”
Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo said: “Antonio is still young but is experienced at club and international level and possesses all the requisite attributes to thrive in the Premier League.
“We have been aware of him for some time, and we are confident he will fit in well with the squad.”
More signings to follow
Chelsea are desperate to strengthen their squad and are considerably behind their title rivals Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, who have all managed to sign top players so far.
The Blues have signed their first major player in Rudiger and they are now linked to make a move for AS Roma’s central midfielder Radja Nainggolan. The Belgian is also one of the most exciting box to box midfielders in Europe. They are also keen to sign a striker but have missed out on Romelu Lukaku after the player deciding to switch to Old Trafford.