Chelsea set for centre-back search this summer to replace Antonio Rudiger

Chelsea will prepare their search for central defenders this summer with the pending departures of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Although Christensen and Azpilicueta will decrease Chelsea’s depth in this position, the task of replacing Rudiger will be the toughest part. The German has played over 800 minutes more than teammates in the same position and has been one of the best defenders in the league this season.

Here are four potential defenders who could replace Rudiger next season.

Jules Kounde

Kounde has been the favoured replacement for many Chelsea fans as the Frenchman has been on the radar of many top clubs over the last two seasons.

The 23-year-old has made 28 league appearances this season, helping Sevilla keep 11 clean sheets in their battle for a Champions League spot.

When compared to Rudiger, Kounde matches up very well defensively. They both have won a similar number of tackles and win the majority of them in the defensive third. Rudiger attempts more tackles against players dribbling at him than Kounde, but they are both successful 60% of the time.

The Sevilla defender has made the same number of clearances that Rudiger but is more successful in winning possession after pressing his opponent. Kounde is comfortable passing from the back and wins 63% of his duels.

Due to his age and potential, Kounde is likely to have a high value in the current market. It has been reported that he has a release clause worth £80 million but Sevilla could accept a fee between £60 million and £70 million.

Levi Colwill

Chelsea could avoid paying a fee at all for a defender as Levi Colwill, who is currently on loan at Huddersfield, has shown he can play in Rudiger’s role.

Colwill has operated on the left side of a back three and a back four this season in his 28 Championship appearances. His quality and positioning skills have helped Huddersfield in their fight for promotion back to the Premier League.

The 19-year-old has a pass completion of 78% and 86% in his own half. He averages 1.3 interceptions per game, 1.7 tackles, and 4.2 clearances on his way to 11 clean sheets so far this season.

The Englishman wins 65% of both ground and aerial duels and has only made one error leading to a shot.

Huddersfield have taken many young English players on loan from the Premier League before with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Trevor Chalobah and Ben Chilwell all having stints at the club.

Current manager Carlos Corberan has predicted a bold future for Colwill.

“I think he is going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future. I am seeing a player with a lot of potential and a lot of personality.”

Evan N’Dicka

N’Dicka has the potential to be a like-for-like replacement for Rudiger after being a shining light for Frankfurt in a disappointing domestic campaign.

The Frenchman has played 30 of Frankfurt’s 32 league games as the club currently sits in 12^th. Defensively, he averages over four clearances per game along with 1.9 tackles and 1.5 interceptions. He has made more tackles, interceptions, blocks, and clearances than Rudiger this season, and is more effective when pressing the opponent.

The 22-year-old has also shown that he can progress the ball in a similar fashion to Rudiger. Both defenders have a dribble success percentage of 71%, with N’Dicka attempting twice as many dribbles, and completing over 84% of their passes. He has also scored four times and picked up four assists in the Bundesliga this season.

Frankfurt had better luck in their European campaign as they made their way to the Europa League final after beating West Ham. N’Dicka had a special game in the second leg as he managed to win three tackles, made three interceptions, four clearances including one off the line, won eight of his 12 duels, and completed 87.1% of his passes.

Jokso Gvardiol

Gvardiol, much like Kounde, has been linked with many clubs over the last 12 months. Manchester City, Tottenham, and Bayern Munich have all shown interest in the centre-back, who has shown he is very comfortable on the left side of a back three.

The Croatian intercepts far more often than the aforementioned defenders and averages a similar number of tackles per game. He is also very efficient when pressing in the midfield third but does not clear the ball as often as other centre-backs.

The 20-year-old has attempted almost six times as many dribbles as Rudiger and only has a slightly lower success percentage at 68.3%. He has also progressed the ball the same distance as Rudiger this season while attempting 80 fewer carries.

After a poor start to the season, RB Leipzig are currently fifth and one point off a Champions League spot. Their Europa League campaign came to end in the semi-finals after losing to Rangers.

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