According to Goal, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger refused to make a move to Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day.
It’s claimed that Rudiger had several options on the table, including a return to former club Roma before they signed Chris Smalling permanently.
AC Milan, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain all showed an interest, but the deadline passed without Rudiger leaving Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham and West Ham United both offered Rudiger escape routes, but he refused to join either side before the deadline.
The reason for that stance? Well, Rudiger didn’t want to join a London rival, seemingly fearing that his relationship with the Blues would be dented by such a move.
Moves between Chelsea and Spurs don’t exactly materialise very regularly given their fierce rivalry, so it’s no great surprise that Rudiger didn’t end up at Tottenham.
As for West Ham, they’re not quite as strong rivals as Tottenham, but Rudiger maybe simply felt that he didn’t want to be playing for another club so close to the club he calls home.
Spurs and West Ham ended deadline day without a new centre back coming in, and Rudiger must now look to win back a spot in the Chelsea starting XI having been exiled by Frank Lampard in recent games.
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