Rudiger happy with current Chelsea contract, praises leader Eden Hazard

One of Antonio Rudiger’s very first thoughts after winning the FA Cup back in May was to make sure that his teammate Eden Hazard knew just how much he was valued and how everyone was hoping that he’d not leave us for Real Madrid. Yelling “Eden stay, Eden stay!” in front of BT Sports’ cameras, Toni kept the tone light and fun (and Eden responded in kind), but there’s always some truth behind joking, as they say. Later in the summer it was made clear just how seriously Hazard has been contemplating a potential move.

Rudiger’s public pleadings may not have had much to do with it, but so far so good with Hazard. There’s no new contract yet, but he’s producing the goods on the pitch, and if nothing else, that’s helping the team. Rudi’s been equally impressed, especially after Sunday’s 1 goal, 1 assist effort against Brighton.

”The way he’s playing is fantastic. We all know what he’s capable of and I’m happy for him. Every position he plays he makes a statement, he’s strong. He’s really doing a fantastic job. He’s a leader, he’s a good example, not by speaking, but by doing, so he’s very good.”

Whether Hazard signs a contract or not still no one knows (not even himself, he claims), though it’s obviously a priority item. Chelsea have recently also agreed new long-term deals with N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Marcos Alonso. There were some rumors that Chelsea were wanting to extend Rudiger already as well, but with 3.5 years left on his deal, there’s definitely less of a hurry in this case. Rudiger agrees.

“There’s no need [for contract talks], because I still have three-and-a-half years to go. There’s no speaking between me and the club. It’s also not necessary at the moment either with three-and-a-half years to go.”

-Antonio Rudiger; source: Sky

One less thing to worry about at the moment then.