Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has denied rumours that he had anything to do with Frank Lampard's dismissal by the Blues last week.
Chelsea pulled the trigger on club legend Lampard after he oversaw a run of five defeats in eight Premier League games, giving him the lowest points-per-game average of any Chelsea manager since Roman Abramovich completed his takeover nearly 18 years ago.
Chelsea’s slump under Lampard this season was even more alarming because the team appeared to go backwards despite a summer spend in excess of £220m.
Rudiger’s seemingly unstable relationship with Lampard led to speculation about whether there was any underhand input from the German international whispering in the ear of the board.
But Rudiger, despite reportedly not seeing eye to eye with Lampard and at one stage looking likely to leave after being frozen out earlier this season, insists nothing could be further from the truth.
“There have been so many nonsense rumours around about me since last week. I’ve never talked with the board about the situation of the coach or on any other topics,” he told The Athletic.
“Frank Lampard trusted in my abilities after Christmas in a very difficult situation and I was thankful for this. It was also the main reason I told my representatives not to look for a possible winter move anymore.
"Unfortunately, it was not meant to be for our team to turn things around for the coach. We always wanted the best for the manager and for the club.”
Rudiger had played only one of Chelsea’s first 15 Premier League games of the season, but was suddenly drafted into the starting XI to replace the struggling Kurt Zouma after Christmas.
He started three of Lampard’s last four league games in charge and has kept his place under Thomas Tuchel.
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Source : 90min