Antonio Rudiger has expressed his pride at joining a ‘huge’ club like Chelsea after his move from Roma went through.
The centre-back arrives at Stamford Bridge with a
£34million price tag and an excellent reputation as one of the stand-out defenders in Italy last season.
Rudiger will now link up with the rest of the Chelsea squad for pre-season once he is fully recovered from his efforts at the Confederations Cup.
‘It’s a great feeling because not every player has the opportunity to join a huge club like this,’ he told the club website.
‘I am looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates and I’m very proud to officially become a Chelsea player.’
The 24-year-old helped Germany win the 2017 Confederations Cup and technical director Michael Emenalo says Chelsea have been monitoring Rudiger for quite some time.
‘We are pleased to be able to bring in a player of proven quality who adds to our defensive options,’ he said.
Antonio is still young but is experienced at club and international level and possesses all the requisite attributes to thrive in the Premier League.
‘We have been aware of him for some time and we are confident he will fit in well with the squad.’
The players already back at Chelsea will depart for China in the coming week as the Blues prepare for their pre-season tour.
Chelsea play Arsenal in Beijing on July 22 in their first fixture before their competitive season kicks off on August 6.
The Blues will again face Arsenal, this time in the Community Shield before their Premier League campaign begins the following week.
Rudiger also said his goodbyes to the Roma faithful after two years at the club.
‘Hi guys, I just signed for Chelsea,’ he began.
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