By Sduduzo Masuku
With Chelsea being one of the teams that produced defensive masterclasses last season in the Premier League, one would ponder why is Antonio Rudiger signed. Well, the answer is pretty much simple. Antonio Conte’s style has always been to invest in a good defense, it is also not a secret that the likes of Gary Cahill and David Luiz are not getting any younger. For some Chelsea fans however the story of Rudiger carries mixed emotions.
It is not a hidden fact that Chelsea fans and neutrals out there would have loved to see both Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake get a chance. With long serving captain and defender John Terry leaving the club, Kurt Zouma was poised to be his successor. That has not happened, which is something that comes as a blow to the fans.
No disrespect to Rudiger, he is a quality defender but in this case the fans are longing for Zouma’s chance at the club. They have seen the glimpses of him, he is an exciting, full of energy defender that gets football admirers excited. However, with Conte at the helm, there was always going to be that part of playing it safe, at the end of the day it is the manager’s job that is on the line, so rather safe than sorry.
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