Signed from AS Roma last year for an initial £29 million fee, Antonio Rudiger joined Chelsea after winning the Confederations Cup with Germany.
At just 24, Rudiger had become one of the key players for Roma in his two seasons at the club as the Italian side finished second behind Juventus in his final season in the league.
Likened to his Germany compatriot, Jerome Boateng by Joachim Low, Conte signed the defender to improve his five-man defence and although it took time for the Germany international to bed into the side, he has begun to look like a solid player for the club.
Boy he is gonna put lukaku in his pocket
— Ronakk Patel (@PatelRon9) 9 July 2017
Finally we have our man,hoping this is the beginning of our great signing for the new season welcome to @ChelseaFC @ToniRuediger
— PROGRESSIVE BABA.T (25/02/23;19/5/21;/29/5/21) (@babat16) July 9, 2017
better than Ivan n# 2
— Jade Saidi (@JadeSaidi) July 22, 2017
Welcome to @ChelseaFC @ToniRuediger…. Great quality with huge physical presence.
— Gameli K. Martey (@GameliMartey) July 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/titanupcollin/status/884132370382811142
Fantastic signing. He’s definitely our future John Terry. Our future captain. Young BEAST. REALLY EXCITED.. #CFC
— Nhlonipho Moyeni (@NhloniphoMzila) 10 July 2017
Amid a season where Chelsea had a pretty poor year, Rudiger played 27 games for Antonio Conte. The former Roma defender at times showed that he could be an incredibly solid defender but also that he is incredibly rash and could be caught out of position.
However, in a side that struggled massively over the course of the season, there’s no surprise that he struggled to maintain some form. Moreover, the defender was often only given a few games at a time before being dropped by Conte, which is also going to halt any momentum or form.
In a back four, Rudiger has become a much better defender. In a more familiar style he’s become a leading figure in the side and in tandem with David Luiz, he’s become a surprisingly reliable and consistent player at the back.
With the ball at his feet, he may need some work but overall, his performances this year have been much better. At just 25, he still not quite in his prime and it seems the Chelsea fans were right to be excited by his arrival.
