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Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger has revealed that he had made initial plans to leave the club this summer – until Thomas Tuchel arrived in January.

The centre-back has proved a key figure for the Blues for most of the time since his 2017 move from Roma. Indeed, he signed under then-manager Antonio Conte and played 45 games in all competitions in his debut campaign.

Rudiger also proved key under Maurizio Sarri but his game time then took a turn for the worse under Frank Lampard.

And his situation attracted more attention ahead of the January 2021 transfer window. The Germany international admitted that did not feel satisfied at his level of game time.

In fact, he only played two Premier League matches between the start of the season and January.

Nevertheless, he has enjoyed a major resurgence since Tuchel took over from Lampard in the dugout that same month. Rudiger has indeed become one of the first names on the team sheet and a fan favourite.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the 28-year-old opened up on his difficult situation in the final few months of Lampard’s reign.

“Yeah [I was close to leaving], the way things were going for myself but also for the team,” he said.

“But in the winter [2021] period I was not keen to leave that much, to be honest. It was more in the summer period where I wanted to leave.

“But Thomas Tuchel came and the rest is history. He opened a new door, I would say it like that. To say he saved my career is a little bit too much. He played a big role.”

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Rudiger added: “To be honest, it was easy [to carry on playing]. There was also a lot of noise going on when the last coach was sacked.

“There were a lot of negative rumours and everything and stuff like this. And I kept on doing what I’m doing… I don’t get easily shaken.”

Rudiger situation at Chelsea unclear

Still, the attention on Rudiger’s future has not gone away, mainly because he has not signed a new contract as a reward for his resurgence.

Both the defender and Chelsea have held extensive talks over a new deal. However, they have not yet come to a suitable agreement.

The situation has been a concern for the Blues for some time and Rudiger is able to talk to overseas clubs from January.

According to a recent report, Real Madrid are the favourites to sign him.

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