Antonio Rudiger has opened up on his contract situation at Chelsea as the German enters the final year of his current deal at Stamford Bridge.
The 28-year-old was out of favour under Frank Lampard at the start of the season, but has emerged as an important player for Thomas Tuchel since his arrival in January.
Rudiger has helped Chelsea keep 18 clean sheets in Tuchel’s 29 games in charge, and the former Paris Saint-Germain boss spoke earlier this month about his compatriots future at the club.
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“Nothing is better than what he is doing for a new contract,” Tuchel said.
“If he wants to have a new contract he has our full support to stay at the club. He is speaking with his performances. He has been amazing since day one.”
Rudiger was asked about Tuchel’s comments: “That’s nice and I’m happy too,” he told Kicker.
“You always make your decisions to some extent dependent on the coaching staff, but in the long term you can never rely on them anyway.
“After the European Championships, we can talk.”
Chelsea have the small matter of a Champions League final to prepare for as they face Man City on Saturday night in Porto.
The Blues have a good record against City under Tuchel, defeating Pep Guardiola’s side in both meetings, most notably 1-0 in the FA Cup sem-final at Wembley.
“City will have the ball more often than we do, we know that,” Rudiger said.
“But in the back row there are more or less direct duels. Every defender should have the courage to play one-on-one duels.
“Sure, Ilka [Gundogan], [Phil] Foden, [Riyad] Mahrez, [Kevin] De Bruyne – you can’t give them all a lot of space.
“If we don’t get high into midfield pressing and play the balls to the top, then you have to work hard and, above all, be willing to suffer.”
Chelsea reluctantly secured a top-four finish in the Premier League at the weekend, ensuring Champions League football for next season, reducing the pressure on Tuchel and his players going into Saturday’s final.
If Chelsea are triumphant against their domestic rivals, they will claim their second Champions League trophy, whereas a victory for City would result in their first.
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