Tuchel: ‘There will be Chelsea without Toni Rüdiger, and we will find solutions’

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed the big rumor of the weekend, that Antonio Rüdiger has decided to leave Chelsea at the end of his contract next month. And it doesn’t sound like there is a way back from here, even if he new owners are in place before then.

“Toni, the media is on it. The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this is in a private talk. We gave everything — me and the club — but we could not fight anymore. [We]don’t take it personally. It is his decision.”

-Thomas Tuchel; source: Sky via BBC

The 29-year-old has been excellent under Tuchel’s tenure, and has been one of the first names on the team sheet for the past year and a half. It’s obviously a big loss going forward, on and off the pitch.

“Toni is what he is. He is a big personality, a big leader, he takes the fear away from other people, gives you confidence when he is next to you and has played 50-60 matches over 90 minutes with incredible consistency.

“[...] I fought hard on a personal level, and we’ve had this kind of connection from day one. He deserves my full support [and] I know he is very aware of it, and I am just happy to have had the chance to coach him and have him in the team because he was nothing but brilliant until today. The club did as well, we had big offers for him, and the club tried everything. But for some weeks, we can’t fight anymore because of the sanctions. We could not adjust or continue, so it is what it is.”

But at the end of the day, our hearts will go on. And so will the club.

And so will Thomas Tuchel, who will undoubtedly help us find a solution. Maybe worse. Maybe comparable. Maybe better?

“It will be challenging, but like always, no matter how much I love Toni and how big a role he played, there will be Chelsea without Toni Rudiger, and we will find solutions.”

-Thomas Tuchel; source: Football.London

In Tuchel we trust.