'It’s in good hands' - Thomas Tuchel insists Antonio Rudiger does not need special convincing to sign new Chelsea deal
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Updated 07/01/2022 at 18:24 GMT
"I don’t feel Toni that he needs a lot of words, pampering, coffee talks and invitations to dinners," said Tuchel, who is confident that a deal will be struck before Rudiger's contract expires in the summer. Four senior Chelsea central defenders had been due to leave the club come the end of the season, though Thiago Silva extended his deal by a further year earlier in January.
'Rudiger doesn't need taking out for coffee' - Tuchel on contract talks
Thomas Tuchel has insisted that Antonio Rudiger does not require any special treatment to convince him to sign a new Chelsea deal.
The German defender's contract expires at the end of the season and he is yet to agree new terms in London amid considerable interest from overseas.
Tuchel would be loathed to lose a player who has become a key pillar of his defensive structure, but Rudiger can now begin negotiating with foreign clubs about a free transfer in the summer, with both Real Madrid and Paris-Saint Germain reported to be intrigued by his potential availability.
His manager, however, "trusts" that the matter is all in hand, and is not over-extending himself to try and keep Rudiger at the club, believing any special treatment may actually be counter-intuitive.
“I don’t know if it helps if I take him out for a lot of coffees, maybe it pushes him out,” chuckled Tuchel. “I don’t feel that he needs a lot of coffees with me; he’s a guy who needs to trust you, he needs to feel the connection, to feel the trust, and he wants to feel it by minutes and by actions.
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“I don’t feel that [Rudiger] needs a lot of words, pampering, coffee talks and invitations to dinners and whatever. He’s a top professional, this is what he has proved. He’s very important and nothing has changed.
“We’re in talks, it’s in good hands, because I trust the club 100 per cent and I have trust in my player. So it’s a no-problem situation for me, obviously also for Toni. He can still deliver, he had a fantastic match [against Tottenham] in a back-four, so he’s super reliable.”
Chelsea host non-league Chesterfield in the FA Cup this weekend, which will be a welcome chance for Tuchel to rest some of his first-choice players amid a hectic schedule.
Silva and N'Golo Kante remain in isolation after testing positive for Covid, but Cesar Azpilicueta, Kai Havertz and Andreas Christensen could all be available after injury scares.
"We are huge favourites, yes we want to win and we demand it of ourselves, but we still respect the game and any opponent," Tuchel said of the third-round meeting with James Rowe's side, who are currently top of the National League.
“You can demand it from yourself if you think it through, in any consequence you have to deliver. So we need to be ready, to have a strong squad and one ready to enjoy these minutes.”
Tuchel also confirmed that Chelsea are seeking left-back cover after Ben Chilwell underwent season-ending knee surgery, with a recall of Emerson Palmieri from his loan at Lyon a possibility.
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