Everton were on the hunt for a centre-back this summer and had Fiyako Tomori, Kurt Zouma, John Stones, Unai Nunez, Mohammed Salisu, Branislav Ivanovic, Jean-Clair Todibo, Wesley Fofana, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mykola Matviyenko, Morata, Thiago Silva, Gian Marco Ferrari, Christian Luyindama, Kristoffer Ajer, Dael Fry, Issa Diop, Marash Kumbulla, Nikola Maksimović, Diego Godin and Tosin Adarabioyo on the radar.
Eventually, we made a move for Ben Godfrey from Norwich City, but The Athletic revealed we made a failed attempt to sign Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea before agreeing a deal with the Canaries. Here’s what happened with our pursuit of Rudiger, according to David Ornstein…
Why didn’t we get Rudiger?
It came down to money. The 27-year-old’s future at Chelsea was uncertain as he’d yet to feature in any competition this season and was behind Zouma, Tomori, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christiansen in the pecking order. Ornstein says his wage demands and loan fee were too much for us to match, however.
Chelsea requested £5m and wanted Rudiger’s £150k-per-week/£7.8m-a-year salary covered for the season, so the entire package would cost around £12m. That’s a latest of money for a temporary move, so it made more sense to spend £25m on Godfrey.
The 22-year-old agreed a five-year deal with Everton and is five years Rudiger’s junior, so I believe we’re getting better value for money. Carlo Ancelotti now has Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate, Jarrad Branthwaite, Michael Keane, Lewis Gibson (on loan at Reading) and Godfrey at his disposal, so we finally have depth in a key area.
Could Rudiger be available in January?
Possibly. The German international find himself surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and hasn’t played a minute of football under Frank Lampard.
Rudiger has been in the matchday squad only once, back in mid-September, so he may want a move away from Chelsea when the winter transfer window opens.
He has two years remaining on his deal but won’t be content with the lack of opportunities, so Everton might be linked again in the coming weeks and months.
Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma and Barcelona were interested in Rudiger over the summer and might return in January. I don’t think we’ll join them, however.
In other news, here’s why Yannick Bolasie’s move to Middlesbrough fell through on deadline day