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Rival fans online have mocked Chelsea following the departure of defender Antonio Rudiger. The German centre-back has officially joined UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid on a free transfer.
According to The Athletic, the 29-year-old defender has signed a four-year contract which will keep him at the Santiago Bernabeu until the summer of 2026.
Los Blancos have added a proven centre-back following the departures of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos last summer.
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Rudiger's transfer away from Chelsea saw rival fans turn against the Blues on Twitter.
Some have suggested that Rudiger is taking a step up in his career while others believe Thomas Tuchel's side are the smallest club in London. Here are some tweets in that regard:
Antonio Rudiger arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2017 from Serie A side AS Roma for a fee of around £31 million. The German international has since gone on to make 203 appearances for the Blues, contributing 12 goals and seven assists along the way.
Rudiger won numerous trophies whilst playing for the Blues. The 29-year-old defender won the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and the FA Cup during his time in England.
In his last season with Chelsea, Antonio Rudiger made 54 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing four assists along the way.
According to Squawka, Rudiger made the most appearances for the club since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel back in January last year (78 games).
Rudiger will now join compatriot Toni Kroos at Real Madrid. Los Blancos have previously had some of the finest German players in their squad like Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira.
Chelsea are set to lose yet another centre-back on a free transfer
Antonio Rudiger will not be the only centre-back to leave Stamford Bridge on a free transfer this summer. According to Fabrizio Romano, Danish defender Andreas Christensen will be joining La Liga giants FC Barcelona at the end of his current contract.
These departures will see the Blues left with Thiago Silva as their only experienced centre-back in the squad. Thomas Tuchel's other options for next season would be Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah.
Chelsea, however, are looking to add a new defender in the upcoming transfer window. According to Caught Offside, the Blues are currently in pole position to secure the services of Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
