John Terry has questioned Chelsea’s decision to allow Antonio Rudiger leave the club on a free transfer this summer.
After Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over West Ham, Thomas Tuchel revealed that the Germany international has decided to leave the club at the end of the campaign when his contract expires.
The Blues had been in discussions with Rudiger over a new deal for several months but failed to reach an agreement.
The 29-year-old has attracted huge interest with his representative holding talks with Barcelona and Manchester United, but Real Madrid are believed to be the frontrunners to sign the defender on a free.
Former Chelsea skipper Terry made his feelings clear about Rudiger’s exit on social media as he replied to a post announcing the news on Instagram with: ‘How have we let this man go.’
Rudiger quickly established himself as a major part of Tuchel’s three-man defence after the German coach replaced Frank Lampard as manager last year.
And Tuchel conceded that Chelsea’s sanctions have limited their ability to negotiate a new contract for Rudiger in recent weeks.
‘We fought hard,’ said Tuchel. ‘I fought hard on a personal level. We made big offers to him, and the club tried everything.
‘But for some weeks we cannot fight any more because we have the sanctions. We cannot adjust. We cannot continue, and so it is what it is.
‘He deserves my full support because he delivered incredible performances right until today. ‘I’m just happy that I had the chance to coach him and to have him in the team. Because he was nothing but brilliant.’
