Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger rejected a move to Tottenham Hotspur on this day last year – oh how they would love to have him now.
Tottenham were desperate for a centre back signing before the transfer window slammed shut on October 5th, 2020.
Tottenham did end up finding a defender as Joe Rodon arrived from Swansea City, but they missed on bigger names.
One of them was Rudiger, with Jose Mourinho making a bold move to bring him over to North London.
Frank Lampard seemingly wasn’t a huge fan of Rudiger, but the German defender rejected Tottenham.
Goal reported that Rudiger rejected both Tottenham and West Ham because they are Chelsea’s London rivals.
Rudiger didn’t want to ruin his relationship with Chelsea fans, and what a turnaround he has enjoyed in 2021.
Rudiger rejecting Tottenham pays off perfectly
The £100,000-a-week defender has enjoyed a superb revival under Thomas Tuchel.
Now one of the most consistent Premier League defenders around, Rudiger has taken his game to another level under Tuchel.
Rio Ferdinand even thinks that Rudiger is up with Ruben Dias as one of the Premier League’s top centre backs this season.
Tottenham may now have Cristian Romero on board, but adding Rudiger would now be something of a dream for Spurs.
Spox claim that Rudiger now wants £195,000-a-week in his next contract, likely putting him out of Tottenham’s range.
Tottenham may wish Rudiger had made that move a year ago, but now simply have to wonder what might have been.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
