Liverpool tracking Antonio Rudiger to replace Dejan Lovren
According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Star), Liverpool are tracking Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.
The Reds are keen to bring in a central defender after parting ways with Dejan Lovren. The Croatian international ended his six-year spell at Anfield when he moved to Zenit St.Petersburg this summer.
With a spot in the squad now open, Jurgen Klopp is keen to bring in a replacement.
Rudiger has far from impressed in what was a forgetful season for the Chelsea defence. The German international’s performance in the FA Cup final saw Frank Lampard drop him for the Champions League trip to Bayern Munich.
With just two years to go on his current deal, Rudiger is yet to be offered fresh terms by Chelsea. This has cast a cloud of uncertainty regarding his future at the Bridge.
The senior-most defender among our center backs, Rudiger has started just 19 Premier League games this season. Lampard has often rotated his backline with Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma, and even Fikayo Tomori.
The 27-year-old made the move to Chelsea from Roma in 2017 for a deal worth £32.4m. Despite his imposing physicality and athleticism, he has at times looked like a fish out of water.
Rudiger is a good defender. However, he is far from a dependable one. The German’s penchant for making errors always leaves a pallor of uncertainty in the Chelsea backline.
Also, his inability to properly read the game on a consistent basis does not encourage the prospect of him becoming the Blues’ lynchpin at the back.
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It is clear that Chelsea need a defensive restructure if they are serious about competing with the big boys.
The Blues backline has shown that it is the club’s Achilles heel when it comes to top-quality opposition. Lampard will have some tough decisions to make this summer.
Losing Rudiger would not be a great blow for Chelsea. If anything selling him will free up funds for us to bring in someone who can change our fortunes at the back.