“Hell of a talent” “I need to play with them” – Antonio Rudiger hails Chelsea duo after latest performances
Antonio Rudiger has singled out Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer for special praise, and he believes Enzo Maresca has ‘a heck of a lot of talent’ at his disposal at Chelsea.
Maresca has rapidly adapted into life at Chelsea after taking over from Mauricio Pochettino, and there is a growing sense of confidence among Stamford Bridge fans after years of turmoil and uncertainty.
Chelsea have lost just once in the Premier League after spending almost £220 million during an unparalleled summer of upheaval, and they currently sit fourth in the table ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The west London giants came through a tough test at home to Brighton to run out 4-2 winners previously and Palmer once again stole the headlines, becoming the first player in Premier League history score four first-half goals.
Maresca has also been boosted by a welcome return to form of Jackson, who has bounced back from an inconsistent debut season to score four goals in his opening six league games this season.
‘I always watch the games when I can, if I don’t play myself. But I always watch their games. There is a hell of a lot of talent, like really a hell of a lot of talent,’ ex-Chelsea defender Rudiger, now with Real Madrid, told The Inside Scoop.
‘I don’t know how much they spent on players already but this is their own strategy and I cannot say anything because the players they have… wow, some teams wish they could spend that amount of money and have these kinds of players.’
Rudiger is especially pleased to see Jackson firing on all cylinders on the back of a tough debut season in England.
‘I’m very happy especially for Nicolas Jackson, that he is getting now his goals because I think overall the player is fantastic,’ Rudiger added.
‘It’s just he was a bit unlucky with his finishing but I’m sure he will improve because his overall game, he is very, very good.’
Rudiger had some doubts following Palmer’s £42.5m move from Manchester United last summer – but the German is delighted to have been proven wrong by the England international.
He continued: ‘Cole Palmer, he surprised me a lot, he surprised me a lot.
‘He really surprised me because you can say, “Oh, he was swimming with those great players”… okay, but then you have to go to another club and show it and he did it.
‘He did it and hats off to him because he’s a really, really good player.’
Rudiger joined Real Madrid on a free transfer upon the expiration of his Chelsea contract in 2022 and it’s clear the centre-back has no regrets about swapping west London for the Bernabeu.
‘There was a gap at the time. There was nothing, there was literally nothing, there was not even talks,’ he explained.
‘I was still playing and I was still playing at my best week-in, week-out. You know sometimes you can be thinking, “Maybe I should not get injured”, or something like this but I didn’t have this in my mind because at that time I felt great at Chelsea.
‘But on the other hand I also knew that Champions League I won can be my ticket to the biggest club in the world.
‘Real Madrid doesn’t knock often on your door in your career and I felt like I was ready for that step.’