Thomas Tuchel warns Chelsea face ‘dangerous’ summer as boss loses key players with Blues stuck in takeover limbo
THOMAS TUCHEL has warned of the ‘danger’ Chelsea face trying to rebuild during a takeover battle.
The club is in limbo while four bidders jostle for control and it is hampering boss Tuchel’s summer spending plans.
Experienced defender Antonio Rudiger is leaving and playing partner Andreas Christensen looks set to follow but Chelsea cannot buy replacements until a new board is in place.
Tuchel said: “I would be less concerned if we had the same ownership and we could rely on our structure. But this is also in question.
“We are not concerned but aware of the danger that the situation is maybe a bit more complex.
“It can be complex enough if you lose a player like Tony and maybe lose another one like Andreas.
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“It is demanding enough in football to lose this kind of quality in a back three for free even if everything else stays in place.
“I just want to be positive about it and stick to the things we can influence.
“It will not be easier. We wanted to compete and you can see we could not compete over the long run.
“We could compete in periods and in matches. We have struggled and I was happy with the structure and mentality that the club provides. That was the foundation, to always believe we will keep on pushing.
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“With this now being questioned it’s getting more demanding.
“The key thing is that we keep the mentality here in the building and in the club, the competitive mentality. It is a bit concerning and let’s hope we can find our way through.”
Chelsea travel to Manchester United on Thursday night where interim boss Ralf Rangnick – Tuchel’s mentor as a young coach at German minnows Ulm – admits the team needs ‘open heart surgery’.
Tuchel believes Chelsea need only ‘cosmetic’ surgery but he cannot move players in or out. Meanwhile, main rivals Liverpool and City can plan ahead.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is being forced to sell up after being sanctioned by the UK Government over his links to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Tuchel said: “There is also financial fair play and these things exist on top of it. I also think it is not possible that a new owner comes in and hands over and says ‘here go wild, here is £250million go and spend it’.
You judge me when we lose two home games. I cannot say I won the Champions League some months before. It is past.
Thomas Tuchel
“There is still hope that everybody is on it and that we finish it as fast as possible and try to be prepared behind the scenes so that if we get a green light to act that we are ready. At the moment it is very difficult to predict what is going to happen.”
Rangnick’s reputation as a coach has been tested by the massive underachievement of Man United’s expensive squad.
Tuchel, who won the Champions League in his first season as Chelsea boss last year, said: “We are judged on what you see at the time.
“You judge me when we lose two home games. I cannot say I won the Champions League some months before. It is past.
“He stepped into the Premier League and he will be judged for this. It has nothing to do with how big an influence he was in German football and what great stuff he did with Leipzig and Hoffenheim and earlier with Hanover.
“You need to prove yourself on an almost daily basis – maybe every three days. This is not always nice. If I talk to CEOs from big companies they say ‘I’m happy that I don’t have this every three days – that I’m the most stupid and then I’m the most intelligent.
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“We enjoy the good side of it, so we have to handle the other side of it.”
Rudiger returned to training on Wednesday and may figure this evening if he passes a fitness test on groin and leg injuries. Christensen is also back after feeling sick.
Chelsea: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Silva, Chalobah, James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso, Mount, Havertz, Werner.