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Report suggests Antonio Rudiger’s availability and Liverpool must take note

Mathew Nash

Thu 19 November 2020 7:45, UK

in their Inside Football feature that the German wants to leave Stamford Bridge having been dropped from the Chelsea first-team. The report claims that Rudiger feels ‘he is being treated unfairly’ and that Roma might be keen. 

So should this news be music to the ears of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp?

Liverpool are facing something of a defensive crisis at present with injuries galore in their backline. That includes long-term knee problems for both starting centre-backs, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. 

Rudiger would therefore present a perfect recruit for the Reds, as they look to fill their enforced vacancies. 

defender before. Back in August there were rumours doing the rounds of Reds interest in the player from reports in Spain. They were swiftly dismissed by Liverpool fans as the Reds seemed happy with their defensive areas. 

But now, in the current crisis, Rudiger could be a perfect recruit. 

Indeed, the German shares a history with his compatriot Liverpool boss. Rudiger was in the Dortmund youth-team when Klopp was at the club but the youngster left for Stuttgart in 2011 as he felt his path to first-team football was blocked at Dortmund. 

But there is no animosity there. In fact, quite the contrary for a player who played under Klopp once in a pre-season friendly. 

“I didn’t get much, but when he spoke to me at the friendly match I saw he’s a coach that gives you motivation like you’re the best in the world,” Rudiger in 2018. “That’s very good and one of his best skills as a coach. 

“He had nothing to do with [me leaving] because I was in the youth [team]. I knew for myself I had to leave Dortmund to play first-team football. I spoke to him twice, because he used to watch a lot of academy games. He also invited me to a friendly match.”

So clearly Rudiger would relish the move and whilst Chelsea would be reluctant to send a player out on loan to a Premier League rival, getting his hefty wages off their books would be beneficial considering the summer of heavy spending that has just gone on at Stamford Bridge. 

Liverpool should certainly be considering this as a potentially winning option for the January transfer window.