Key attribute helping Chelsea star to take his position to ‘another level’ – pundit
A Match of the Day pundit believes one Chelsea star is taking his position to the next level thanks to a key attribute.
The Blues endured a dip in form over the past week, losing 3-2 to West Ham in the Premier League before being held to a 3-3 draw with Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League.
They faced Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds on Saturday and were looking to get back to winning ways. An eventful Stamford Bridge clash saw them come out 3-2 winners, while also keeping the pressure on title rivals Man City and Liverpool.
Jorginho’s injury-time spot-kick gave Chelsea their 11th league victory of the campaign thus far.
German boss Thomas Tuchel can rely on several top stars to perform week in, week out. That includes goalscorer Jorginho, Thiago Silva and Mason Mount.
But arguably Chelsea’s most important player right now is centre-back Antonio Rudiger.
The 28-year-old has become one of the best central defenders in the world in recent months. He put in some sturdy displays last season as Chelsea won the Champions League.
Following another top performance against Leeds, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said on Rudiger: “He’s a real driving force, I love watching him play.
“I was an aggressive defender myself but I think this guy takes it to another level. When he gets the ball, he likes to run forward whenever he can.
“The fans love him there because he makes things happen. He takes charge, he can clip a ball wide to create things and defensively he is so aggressive.
“He just shuts the door; aggressive, strong and he really leads from the back. Really outstanding.”
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Chelsea must act fast to tie down key man
However, the Blues have a fight on their hands to keep Rudiger in west London. His contract expires in June and negotiations over an extension are yet to result in a breakthrough.
Bayern are hoping to take the defender back to his native Germany. They are not alone in the transfer hunt, as Chelsea’s English rivals Man Utd and Liverpool also want to sign him.
Rudiger has made 170 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring on nine occasions. He was originally signed from Roma in 2017 for an initial £29m.
Rudiger’s team-mates Silva, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are also free agents come the end of the season.
Agent says Lukaku will return to Italy
Meanwhile, the agent of Romelu Lukaku says the striker will not end his career at Chelsea.
“One day we will see Lukaku back in Serie A,” Federico Pastorello told Tuttomercato, per Sports Mole. “Lukaku loves Italy. But right now it’s up to Chelsea to take advantage of Romelu’s qualities.”
Lukaku was at Chelsea between 2011 and 2014 before being sold to Everton for £28m. Following spells at Man Utd and Inter, where he won the Italian league title, Chelsea re-signed Lukaku for £97.5m in the summer.
He has gone on to register five goals and one assist during his second spell with the two-time UCL winners.
The Belgian hitman will be hoping to start when Chelsea play Everton on Thursday at 19:45.
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