Rudiger next: 9 great players that left Chelsea on a free transfer

Rudiger, despite some sticky spells, has become a fan’s favourite at Stamford Bridge with his wholehearted and maverick attitude to defending.

The Germany international has won the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup during his five years in England and will be sorely missed by the Chelsea faithful.

While Rudiger is arguably the only Chelsea player still in their prime to leave in this manner, plenty of other star names have left the west Londoners without the club receiving a transfer fee.

We’ve identified nine other Chelsea legends that left Stamford Bridge on a free transfer.

Captain. Leader. Legend. There’s simply never been a better servant to Chelsea Football Club than Terry.

His achievements at Stamford Bridge are obvious and well-documented and the defender left for Aston Villa in 2017 with the good wishes of every single Chelsea supporter.

Terry helped Villa reach the Championship play-off final in his final season as a professional before joining the coaching staff at Villa Park.

Chelsea’s record goalscorer departed at the end of the 2013-14 season after making a mammoth 648 appearances for the Blues – but his next destination was not without controversy.

Lampard signed a two-year contract with New York City in July 2014 but, with the MLS season not starting until the following January, the midfielder made a loan switch to Manchester City.

Predictably, his first goal for them came against Chelsea and made Lampard look on the verge of tears. His decision to extend his stay in Manchester until the end of the 2014-15 campaign angered fans in New York, with around 300 asking for refunds on their season tickets.

He did eventually spend 18 months in the US before retiring in February 2017.

READ