Antonio Rudiger proves his value once again as Chelsea beat Leicester City

Antonio Rudiger scored for the third consecutive season against Leicester City as Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 victory at the King Power Stadium.

Rudiger opened the scoring in the 13th minute, nonchalantly nodding in from a corner to take his tally against the Foxes to four.

Further goals from N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic ensured the Blues extended their lead at the top of the table to six points ahead of the remaining fixtures this weekend.

Despite their position in the league, Rudiger will be free to speak to foreign clubs in January due to having six months left on his contract.

The German has held talks to try and negotiate a new deal with the league leaders, however, little progress has been made as it is believed Rudiger wants to be amongst the club’s highest earners, reportedly demanding a figure of around £200,000-per-week.

Thomas Tuchel reiterates the clubs desire to keep Rudiger

The 28-year-old centre back fell out of favour under previous manager Frank Lampard but has managed to reignite his career since the arrival of Tuchel.

Rudiger has been a mainstay in the Chelsea defence and has even been named as the Premier League’s best defender by Rio Ferdinand.

The Chelsea manager mirrored those comments and insisted that the fans must be patient as contract discussions continue.

“Everybody wants him to stay it is pretty clear, but sometimes there is a delay in these things.

“On the other side, I think he knows what he has here and what a fantastic club and fantastic league he plays for and in.

“He is a top competitor and that’s why we need a bit of patience and hopefully we will get a good ending.”

Excelling in the three at the back system

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The Blues boast the best defensive record in the league this season conceding just four goals in their opening 12 matches, only one of which has come from open play.

Rudiger has played a crucial role in achieving that feat missing just one match in the league this season.

Prior to scoring the opening goal, the German made a crucial interception from a Jamie Vardy cross to deny Ademola Lookman a tap in at the back post.

It was just another interception to add to the growing highlight reel for the defender which includes an incredible block on Phil Foden in the Champions League final.

Rudiger operates on the left side of that back three where he can use his pace to prevent runs down the channels from the opposition’s attackers.

However, his role against Leicester also included covering the inside for Thiago Silva as the Foxes looked to exploit the Brazilian’s lack of pace in behind with Vardy.

Despite this, the German had little to do defensively as the Blues dominated for the majority of the match, but when he was called upon, Rudiger proved his authority.

The 28-year-old is just entering the prime of his career but is among one of the senior figures and leaders in the squad full of academy graduates and youngsters.

In the dressing room, he is a well-respected individual who pushes the squad to consistently reach their extremely high standards.

Losing such an influential figure would be a blow and even more so if it was for free to a European rival in a market where he would easily be worth in excess of £50m.

The German is one of the most in-form defenders in the world at this moment in time, and should he continue to deliver this standard of performance on the pitch, he has every right to demand such wages.

Adding goals to his game will only put more pressure on the hierarchy at Chelsea to listen to the requests of the 28-year-old who is undoubtedly one of the first names on the team sheet for the European champions.

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