Four Chelsea superstars who could become free agents next year
3. Andreas Christensen, Age 25
Danish center-back, Andreas Christensen, joined Chelsea when he was only 16 years old. He worked his way up the ranks of the club and has finally started to play regularly for the starting eleven again. Chelsea is a notoriously tough team for academy players since the club likes to buy world-class players every now and then. Christensen however, always had the potential to be one of the best defenders in the world.
The two main problems with the Dane were that firstly he was inconsistent and secondly, he was injury-prone. The player always featured for the Blues in every season, however, he was never played regularly. This changed when Tuchel came into the club.
Under the new coach, the Dane found a new chance to jump-start his Chelsea career once again. He has been fantastic ever since the former Paris Saint-Germain coach took over, and he has clearly matured a lot since he does not make silly mistakes anymore. His performance in the Euros and the Champions League finals were exceptional, and recently in the match against Liverpool, he showed that he can be counted on in tough situations.
The player is a real gem and must be protected by the club. His contract will come to an end in 2022 however, talks have already begun with the player, and it has been reported that the player is close to signing a new long-term deal.
2. Antonio Rudiger, Age 28
One of the players who had the biggest turnaround since Tuchel took over was Antonio Rudiger. The 28-year-old German who was brought into the club from Roma in 2017, never really fit in with the team before. He is a robust, no-nonsense defender however, he was prone to making mistakes. He was also put out of action for a long time with a recurring groin injury. Frank Lampard tried to implement him in the team however, finally decided to go with Kurt Zouma and Silva instead. This was a huge hit in confidence for the German, and he was most likely going to leave the club had Tuchel not come in.
Since the German manager gave a priority to all the German players in the squad, Rudiger was also given another lifeline. He put all his heart into this last chance and was arguably one of the best players for us last season. His performance improved massively and his Champions League finals display was out of this world. He is currently one of the best defenders in the Premier League and was even nominated by UEFA for the Best Defender of the Year award.
Even though Rudiger has proved himself to the club, negotiations are taking longer than expected. According to reports, Chelsea wants to extend his contract with improved wages however, the player is not happy with the amount being offered to him. The player and the club are still negotiating however, the Blues may lose him for free next year if they don’t close the deal soon. The player has been monumental for the club in recent months and it will be a shame to lose him. Hopefully, the player and the club can come to a compromise and extend his contract for a few more years.