5 Chelsea players who could surprise you this season

Modified Jul 31, 2017 05:56 GMT

#2 Antonio Rudiger

Antonio Rudiger Chelsea — Rudiger's adaptability will be a huge bonus for Conte this season

Amidst the arrivals of Bakayoko and Morata, the importance of the signing of Antonio Rudiger has been slightly underplayed. Undoubtedly one of the most solid defenders in world football at the moment, Rudiger is set to play a key role in the 3 man defence for Chelsea this season.

Coming off an extremely successful Confederations Cup with Germany, Rudiger's tactical versatility, positioning skills and tactical ability will all be used extensively by Conte this season as he looks to avoid a 'Mourinho like' season at Chelsea. Having joined for a fee of £29 million, Rudiger will be wearing the 'number 2' jersey this season.

All the indications are that Rudiger, Luiz and Azpilicueta will be starting the majority of the matches as the back 3 and we might just see the German blossom into one the best defenders in the world under the tutelage of Antonio Conte this season.

About the author

A Bengaluru lad through and through, Ashwin Hanagudu is a huge fan of Liverpool and unsurprisingly pledges his sworn allegiance to RCB in the IPL. With over 8+ years of experience in this field, Ashwin manages multiple verticals at Sportskeeda and as of July 2024 is the most-read author in the football section.

Apart from his duties at Sportskeeda, Ashwin Hanagudu is also an active table tennis player and has played multiple state ranking and national tournaments representing Karnataka.

A huge sports fan, some of the athletes and sportspersons he admires in no particular order are Virat Kohli, Steven Gerrard, Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu

Know More

Edited by Ashwin Hanagudu