Thomas
Tuchel says he has "no problem" remaining Chelsea head coach despite Roman
Abramovich's plan to sell up, insisting he "loves everything about the
club".
Russian billionaire Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003 and
bankrolled the club on their way to winning 19 major trophies, announced his
intention to sell on Wednesday in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The 55-year-old has already received offers for Chelsea, with Swiss
billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and American investor Todd Boehly understood to be
two of the parties interested.
Tuchel, who was appointed under Abramovich's ownership in January 2021,
admits the owner's decision to sell has created "uncertainty", but has no
doubts about his own future.
Asked if he would have a problem remaining at Stamford Bridge, the head
coach said: "No, the opposite of a problem staying here.
"I said many times that I love working in the Premier League, I love to be
in England and feel the tradition and the love for sports in general and
football in particular. It's an amazing place to be.
"Chelsea is, for me, the perfect fit. I love to be here, I love everything
about the club and hopefully it continues.
"There is uncertainty, but isn't there always for a football manager? I'm
used to it on different levels. This is quite the level, I have to be
honest, but I am positive and hope things will end well."
Abramovich's decision to walk away from Chelsea comes just three months
before the transfer window opens, raising the possibility of the Blues being
handicapped in the summer market if the ownership situation is not resolved
by then.
Abramovich is unlikely to want to continue funding expensive signings if he
is looking to sell the club, but Tuchel said he is yet to even discuss his
desires for the summer with Marina Granovskaia, the director, or Petr Cech,
the technical and performance advisor.
"Actually, to be very honest, there are no talks for summer - not with
Marina, not with Petr," the head coach explained. "It's simply a bit too
early.
"There are always ideas and reflections on the subject, but the main focus
was on - even without all the noise - all the different competitions and to
be as successful as we can be.
"We still have some work to do to constantly improve, but we're in a good
place at the moment - I feel the team growing and getting better. So no
worries in this particular case until summer. There's still a long way to
go."
An added complication for Chelsea is the possible impact of Abramovich's
decision on contract negotiations with captain Cesar Azpilicueta, plus his
fellow defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
The trio all have deals that expire at the end of the season and are of
interest to European clubs, but Tuchel says he remains positive for the
"best outcome", and believes Chelsea will remain an attractive proposition
for players regardless of Abramovich's presence.
Asked if the ownership situation could have ramifications for his chances of
keeping his out-of-contract players, Tuchel said: "Yes, that's the
situation, and maybe the bottom line is that we cannot help it. It's what is
it.
"You never know - maybe there's a positive effect on negotiations, maybe it
has a negative effect. We cannot predict and I would like not to predict
scenarios because we will just lose focus. Everyone has a different
situation and feels different about it.
"Still I hope for the best outcome, still I think we have something to
offer, still I think Chelsea is a strong club and will stay a strong club.
Our owner decided to sell the club and he sells a strong, solid and very
well-organised club on the highest level."
'Tuchel unlikely to walk out on Chelsea'
Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
Thomas Tuchel has a contract until 2024 and, having dealt with him for a
while and knowing the type of person that he is, I don't think he's going to
walk out on Chelsea because of Abramovich's decision to sell the club. But
change can disrupt everything. If new owners come in, will they want their
own person to be the manager? On the face of it, why wouldn't you want
Tuchel to be a part of your plans? He's won the Champions League and the
Club World Cup. I don't get any sense from him that he's not committed to
Chelsea. But in the long term, who knows what will happen?
However, the sense I'm getting is that, if the club is sold, then Bruce
Buck, the chairman, and Marina Granovskaia, the director, are unlikely to
stay.
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