Tuchel has made no secret of his desire to see Rudiger stay in west London having been a key player in the success of Chelsea over the past 12 months but the longer his situation drags on, the more you feel the Germany international will be on his way. After the latest reports emerged regarding Rudiger’s future, Tuchel was asked to respond on them and if any player can be bigger than Chelsea if they did indeed decide to match his demands and get his future sorted quickly.
Thomas Tuchel said: “Both answers are correct. It is super important and as I understood like myself and everybody else we absolutely accept the importance, we are fully aware of the importance of Toni and the role he is playing on and off the pitch. There is no doubt in that. And yes it is true nobody is bigger than a club, nobody is. This is a team effort, it is a team game, it is a strong club and it is also about the club. It is not about me, it is not only about Toni — and I mean that in the best way because we know what he is doing and we are fully aware of it. So both answers are right and, in the end, we need a bit of patience. I have no update right now.”
Tuchel’s side also shipped three goals against Zenit St Petersburg, a game which Rudiger didn’t play in as he was rested alongside Thiago Silva and that led to questions on whether the contract issues with Rudiger and also Andreas Christensen, have been a part of the slight dip in form.
Thomas Tuchel said: “With Toni I don’t think so. With Toni, I think the dip in form is a very very slight dip if there is even one. With Toni, he played so much and he needed the break I gave him and I expect him to honestly be in top shape tomorrow.”
