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Antonio Rudiger could have been a Chelsea player last summer, but the German international tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and missed the opportunity to join the Blues.

He returned playing for Roma in October, as his Chelsea deal was put off. The 24-year-old is now a Chelsea player and the rest is history.

The former Roma defender has revealed his excitement at joining Chelsea.

Talking about the injury and his move to Chelsea, he said: “It could have been the biggest moment of my career. It was the biggest moment at the time. But I believe in God and everything has its time. So one year later I won the Confederations Cup and one year later I am at Chelsea.

“Of course, at that moment it was sad. I knew then that I had to work to get stronger back. And this is what happened.

“It is a dream to be here. I always wanted to play in the Premier League and it is now years since my name was first linked to Chelsea.

“Now I am here and I am very happy and want to thank all the people that made this come true.

“Everything bides time. At the time it wasn’t the right moment and now I am here.”