Antonio Rüdiger’s failure to get a move away from Chelsea last summer forced him to have a peripheral role in the first half of the season.
His situation improved at the start of this year, after Thomas Tuchel was appointed as Frank Lampard’s successor.
The 28-year-old has been a first-choice centre-back under the orders of the former Paris Saint-Germain manager.
Chelsea have made it to the Champions League final after overcoming Atlético Madrid, FC Porto and Real Madrid. The defender started in all these fixtures and his form in Europe and in the league has impressed Tuchel.
The Germany international’s contract expires in 2022 and his manager has publicly urged the player to sign a new deal at Stamford Bridge. Rüdiger has now provided an update on his contract situation during an interview with Kicker.
“That’s nice and I’m happy too,” the former AS Roma man said about comments made by Tuchel.
When quizzed if his decision to sign a new deal at Chelsea depends on Tuchel’s future, Rüdiger said: “You always make your decisions to some extent dependent on the coaching staff, but in the long term you can never rely on them anyway. After the European Championship, we can talk.”
Meanwhile, Rüdiger has also insisted his teammates must be ready to suffer if Chelsea are to beat Manchester City in the Champions League final.
“City will have the ball more often than we do, we know that. But in the back row there are more or less direct duels. Every defender should have the courage to play one-on-one duels,” he explained.
“Sure, Ilkay, Foden, Mahrez, De Bruyne – you can’t give them all a lot of space. If we don’t get high into midfield pressing and play the balls to the top, then you have to work hard and, above all, be willing to suffer.”
