Who is Ricardo Rodriguez?

The January transfer window is in full flow with reports linking Premier League clubs with a host of players from around Europe.

According to reports in the British press, Chelsea, as well as Arsenal, have been keeping a close eye on Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodriguez ahead of a potential £21m move to England.

But who is Rodriguez? We profile the Switzerland international…

FACTFILE

Age: 24

Position: Left-back

Club: Wolfsburg

Nationality: Swiss

International caps: 43

International goals: 1

Early career

Born in Zurich to a Spanish father and Chilean mother, Rodriguez started his professional career at FC Zurich in 2009 having spent eight years as part of the club’s youth set-up.

He was promoted to the senior squad at the age of 16 and was an unused substitute for Zurich’s 3-2 defeat to NK Maribor in the Champions League.

Rodriguez eventually made his debut in 2010, coming on as a substitute in his side’s 2-0 win over Bellinzona in the Swiss Super League.

He went on to make 35 appearances for the club, scoring two goals before being sold to Wolfsburg in Januray 2012 for an undisclosed fee.

Despite being sold mid-way through the season, Rodriguez, who featured in the Europa League with the Swiss side, had obviously made an impression on the Zurich fans and was was voted as the Fans’ Player of the Season the following summer.

Wolfsburg career

Rodriguez moved to the Bundesliga as a 19-year-old and quickly asserted himself as a regular in the first team under Felix Magath.

However, a poor run of results saw Magath lose his job and Rodriguez lost his place in the team under the interim manager Lorenz-Gunther Kostner.

He was restored to the starting line-up though once Dieter Hecking was appointed and he went on to …

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