Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici is eager to sign Antonio Rudiger…
What’s the word?
That’s according to Football Insider, who claim the Lilywhites recruitment chief is “calling every day” to try and win the race to sign the out-of-contract Chelsea centre-back.
The 28-year-old has emerged as a ‘top target’ for Spurs as they look to sign him for nothing in the summer following his likely departure from Stamford Bridge.
However, despite the Italian being in constant contact with Rudiger’s camp, the north Londoners face stiff competition from some of Europe’s biggest teams, including Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Major upgrade
Despite his contractual situation, Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has continued to trust the German international to regularly start matches, featuring 25 times across the Premier League and Champions League.
After securing a winners’ medal in the latter competition last season, Rudiger would undoubtedly be a massive upgrade on several of Antonio Conte’s current options at Spurs and his familiarity with not just the English top-flight, but the Italian manager himself would help tenfold.
He has recorded 45 of his 176 appearances for the Chelsea under Conte. They even won the 2017/18 FA Cup together, leading to the German describing his boss as a “very good coach” to reporters at the time.
Rudiger has averaged 2.1 aerial duels won, 1.3 tackles and an 86.4% passing accuracy, having been only one of two players to register over 1,400 minutes in the Premier League this term, as per WhoScored, who also state his strengths as being passing and more crucially concentration.
The £31.5m-rated colossus has been one of Chelsea’s standout performers over the past 12 months, with BT Sport pundit and Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand a big fan of his.
“Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably, since Tuchel has been there [at Chelsea], been the best defender in the Premier League,” he told his podcast (via the Metro). “Him or [Ruben] Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal.”
Both Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez, who has previously been lambasted as a “liability” to Spurs have struggled in recent games and neither are up to the standard of Rudiger, given his vast experience and trophy history.
Paratici could land a massive upgrade on the latter with an ambitious swoop for the Chelsea star this summer.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals Spurs’ “priority” in January…
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/3eWVFdS
via IFTTT