Rudiger a viable option for Everton
As Everton weigh up all the possible options for central defensive reinforcements, could Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger be a decent candidate?
It’s been abundantly clear since the injuries first to Mason Holgate and then Jarrad Branthwaite, that Everton are going to have to bring in another central defender in this window.
One of the names most strongly connected with a move to Goodison Park, was the young Chelsea and England player Fakiyo Tomori.
But this story has cooled with rumours Chelsea boss Frank Lampard wanted him to stay, or might have considered using him as a makeweight in a deal for the Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
At any rate that potential move seems to be off, although you can’t rule out some new twist, especially in the days leading up to deadline day.
So might the Toffees actually consider one of Tomori’s team mates, Rudiger, at Stamford Bridge as they continue to search for reinforcements before the window shuts?
There have been persistent rumours about the German defender’s future and today Sky Sports report that after he was left out of the matchday squad to play Liverpool, he has been considering his future and might seek a move before the window closes.
Chelsea now have a surfeit of central defenders with Thiago Silva arriving this summer together with French centre-back Malang Sarr, so Rudiger now seems to be surplus to requirements.
The German international has been a pretty consistent starter at Stamford Bridge since he joined the west London club in 2017, despite the regular changes of manager during that time.
Recently though he hasn’t had quite as much game time with Silva and Sarr joining recognised centre-backs Tomori and Kurt Zouma, who of course was on loan at Everton two season’s ago.
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According to Whoscored.com Rudiger isn’t the best at the basics of defending, like tackling and dealing with balls in the air. On the plus side though he is quick, is a very good passer of the ball and has good levels of concentration.
Alongside a defender like Micheal Keane or Yerry Mina, I think Rudiger would be a good balance and could do well. Again he can also offer a bit of versatility as he could slot in at right-back.
He is certainly an experienced defender who is still considered good enough to regularly start for his country. Rudiger is valued at around £35 million, which is a fee I very much doubt the Blues would be prepared to meet.
However, if Chelsea are overstocked at centre-half and have a defender who wants out, they might well be prepared to lower any fee to get a player off their books.
Next. Might Everton midfielder be on his way out. dark
Still another possible candidate for Everton to consider as the club continues their search for defensive reinforcements. Even if the Toffees miss out on Tomori, they might still end up signing a Chelsea defender again.