Three possible Antonio Rudiger replacements for Chelsea
3. Hiroki Ito (VfB Stuttgart, Japan)
Hiroki Ito may be the perfect left-footed left centerback Chelsea needs. A special appeal to him would be the fact that he plays in a three-centerback formation and a two-centerback formation already with his current club. His passing numbers are also similar to Rudiger’s in that he’s also a high-volume long passer. Ito plays as a left-sided centerback whenever Stuttgart plays a two-centerback formation and a left centerback when it plays in a back three. Ito has made more than 14 appearances in a back three and more than eight appearances in a back four. Furthermore, his left-footedness may be of particular appeal to the Blues as they haven’t had that in a long time as it relates to a left centerback.
Ito averages 1.8 interceptions per game and makes 1.5 tackles per game too. He has won 71% of his tackles this season and averaged 0.9 blocked shots per 90. Ito wins 2.0 ground duels per game at a 56% success rate and wins 1.4 aerials per game at a 52% success rate. He averages 9.9 pressures per 90, as well, winning 37% of them.
He makes 57.2 passes per 90 at an 82% success rate. He also averages 5.4 long balls completed per game at a 45% success rate. This means that Ito attempts 12 long passes per game. He might need to attempt less if he’s going to play for Chelsea, as the Blues prioritize possession. His ball progression is better through passing, as 8% of his passes are progressive compared to 5% of his carries being progressive. Ito was on loan this season from J2 League club Jubilo Iwata in Japan. He will return to his club the conclusion of this campaign and thus, Chelsea would have to do its negotiations with the Japanese club. The Blues should be able to get him for between £7 to 10 million. He’s still just 23 years old, so he still has up to 10 more years of peak performance.
Which centerback do you think would best replace Rudiger? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!
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Statistics of tackles, interceptions, long balls and clean sheets are from SofaScore. Statistics of blocks, passing per 90, progressive passes and progressive carries are from fbref.