Chelsea are being linked with a big money move for John Stones, but the Everton defender and the club more importantly, did not allow the 22-year-old to join the Blues last season. The defender though was keen on a move, but had to play the rest of the season with a club that was clearly struggling in the defending aspect of the game.
The 22-year-old central defender would also cost Chelsea a huge amount if he does move to the club next season and that could be the biggest problem, since his performances for Everton in the previous campaign weren’t all that good at all. Signing the English star might be a huge risk for Antonio Conte and he might want to move for a player that has done extremely well in Serie A in recent times.
Antonio Rudiger moved to Italian club AS Roma at the start of last season after spending many years with Bundesliga side Stuttgart. Many would have thought that he would struggle at Roma but he has actually been one of their best players and even adjusted to the Serie A easily, even though it was a new league for the German international.
Conte would want people who can fit into his system easily and Rudiger would be the perfect player if the Italian’s side are to do well next season. Stones’ season was littered with many mistakes and often his desire for the game was questioned, especially during the mauling that Liverpool gave Everton at Anfield.
After conceding a goal, Stones, who was at fault for multiple goals in that game, asked to be substituted instead of wanting to stay on and save some face for the club. Rudiger on the other hand, seems to be a leader in the back, well you have to be, if you are going to play for Germany.
If people speak and talk about the age of both defenders, Rudiger is only one year older than Stones, so he still has time to develop and grow. Most central defenders hit their peak when they are close to 27-28 years of age, just look at Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, who enjoyed their best years at Manchester United when they were in their mid-20s.
Rudiger is also versatile enough to play in midfield though he isn’t a ball playing defender like Stones is, he is comfortable on the ball and that should be good enough for Conte.
Chelsea do not really have a lot of options for the future, but John Terry is staying at the club for another season and Rudiger could be a great signing for the Blues for the future, especially with Kurt Zouma coming back next season, Chelsea could have a fantastic center back pairing for the future.