John Terry baffled by Chelsea letting Antonio Rudiger quit on a free as fans rage at becoming ‘Real Madrid feeder club’

CHELSEA legend John Terry has been left baffled by the club’s decision to let defender Antonio Rudiger to leave.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel confirmed after his side’s win over West Ham on Sunday that the German will be departing Stamford Bridge when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Rudiger failed to agree terms with Chelsea over a new dealRex

GettyTerry cannot understand why Rudiger is not staying at Chelsea[/caption]

And Terry, who returned to Chelsea to take up a coaching consultancy role at the beginning of 2022, does not understand why Chelsea failed to tie Rudiger down.

Responding to the news, the former Blues captain said: “How have we let this man go,” along with three covering faces emojis.

Rudger is reportedly closing in on agreeing a move to Real Madrid in the summer.

He is expected to sign a four-year deal which will see him earn around £300,000 a week.

Rudiger has been superb since Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard in January 2021.

And Blues fans are gutted to see him leave after he played an integral part in their Champions League triumph last season.

One said: “Sad to see him leave,” while another added: “My heart is broken.”

A third Chelsea supporter frustratingly described them as a “Real Madrid feeder club” as Rudiger prepares to join fellow ex-Blues star Eden Hazard at the Bernabeu.

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Tuchel blamed the recent sanctions inflicted upon Chelsea’s outgoing owner Roman Abramovich as a major reason why they could not pin Rudiger down.

He said: “The situation is that he wants to leave the club. He informed me of this in a private talk.

‘We gave everything – me and the club – but we could not fight anymore because of the sanctions.

“Without the sanctions we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied.

“We don’t take it personally. It is his decision.”