Former England international Paul Merson claims He doubts if the potential player Thomas Tuchel has been shortlisted as the replacement for Antonio Rudiger can fill the void left by him.
Antonio Rudiger completed his move to Real Madrid on a free transfer on Thursday after running down his contract at Chelsea.
The 29 years old German defender has been one of the key players in the Chelsea team since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea in November 2020.
Rudiger had initially struggled after joining Chelsea from Roma on a five years deal. Things got worse under former Chelsea coach Frank Lampard and there were reports that Antonio Rudiger wanted to leave Chelsea during the 2021 winter transfer because of a lack of playing time.
Paul Merson had earlier this month attributed Antonio Rudiger not extending his contract at Chelsea to the way he was treated by Frank Lampard. He said: “He got completely banned from the team by Lampard and I think that left a lasting effect on Rudiger. That’s when he decided that he’s not signing a new contract.”
But the 29 years old looked rejuvenated under Thomas Thomas and grew into one of the best defenders in the Premier League and Europe. He was instrumental for Chelsea in the 2020/2021 season, helping them win the Champions League, and continued with his impressive form into last season helping Chelsea win the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
There are reports that Chelsea has shortlisted five defenders to replace Antonio Rudiger, with Seville Jules Kounde and Napoli Kalidou Koulibaly leading the list.
However, Paul Merson thinks Chelsea may find it difficult to replace Antonio Rudiger and doubts if Jules Kounde and Kalidou Koulibaly can fill the void left by Rudiger in the Chelsea defense.
What did Paul Merson say about Chelsea replacing Antonio Rudiger?
Speaking in an interview with Sportskeeda, the former England international said: “Antonio Rudiger has been outstanding for Chelsea. I can’t remember him having a bad game if I’m being honest.
“He’s been consistently brilliant in the Premier League this season. Rudiger is going to be a massive miss for Thomas Tuchel next season.
“He’s going to be a hard one to replace, and I’m not sure if the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Jules Kounde can fill his boots. If there is a worry for Chelsea this year, it’s finding Rudiger’s replacement”’
Meanwhile, Paul Merson claims Chelsea should cash in on Romelu Lukaku if they receive a better offer.
Romelu Lukaku had failed to live up to expectations since his 100 million Euros move to Chelsea. the Belgian international managed only 15 goals and 2 assists in 44 appearances for Chelsea.
Merson added:” Lukaku has been disappointing all season.
“He started well against Arsenal and we all thought, “Okay, here we go!” We haven’t seen him do that again since – he just never got going.
“If Chelsea can get their £100 million or anywhere near that amount back for him this summer, they’ll sell him. A loan would be of no use to anybody – it wouldn’t help Thomas Tuchel one bit.”
