Tag: Toni Rudiger

Chelsea defender Toni Rudiger insists he's never wanted to leave Stamford Bridge. Rudiger has shut down talk he had an issue with Frank Lampard and said he wouldn't have continued playing for Chelsea if he did not respect his former Blues boss. Lampard was sacked on January 25 following a dismal run which left Chelsea's hopes of a top four finish. Rudiger managed just 35 appearances in the 84 games Lampard had in charge but was brought in ahead of Kurt Zouma in the final games as the former Chelsea midfielder fought for his job. The German explained that PSG were keen to add him in the summer and while negotiations went 'back-and-forth' it was ultimately decided by Chelsea that they wanted to keep him. "My thoughts were: 'I'll stay here and fight for my place'," Rudiger told BILD. "I certainly thought about it when I wasn't in the squad. But everybody knows: we are in a pandemic, not all clubs are so liquid at the moment. "I wanted to stay here, even though I had offers. "Shortly after Christmas, I was regularly called up again. For the winter transfer period, there was no question of a move. I wanted to fight my way through."