THOMAS TUCHEL wants to get back to what he does best – coaching.
Right now, the Chelsea boss has his hands full with other roles and jobs he would never have dreamed he would be forced to take on when he arrived in January 2021.
Thomas Tuchel has revealed he has been more “hands-on” since Roman Abramovich left ChelseaCredit: GettyFormer Blues owner Abramovich relinquished control of the club earlier this yearCredit: AFP
Since then, a lot has changed on and off the pitch — most notably Roman Abramovich’s exit following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The most significant of the fresh roles thrust on Tuchel is co-sporting director alongside new owner Todd Boehly.
Tuchel has been given greater autonomy regarding transfers following the departures of technical and performance adviser Petr Cech and director Marina Granovskaia.
The Blues manager has described his relationship with American businessman Boehly as “intense”.
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They currently speak several times a day to speed up the recruitment process.
And as he sat down at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, the squad’s base in LA for the start of their pre-season tour, a weary Tuchel rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath after being asked if he is enjoying his “new jobs”.
He said: “It is very time consuming. It’s not my favourite thing to do — in the long run the focus has to be on coaching, because that is why I am here.
“But, at the moment, my help is needed. It is necessary I step up and take the responsibility.
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“My role has changed a lot. I could never have imagined that I would stay longer than Roman, Marina and Petr. We didn’t see that coming.
“With Todd taking over, we are in a very intense and close relationship to get signings done and make the team better — but there is no other way.
“We need to be hands-on. We are aware we have a club in transition.
“The team being competitive is where my focus is. For this, we have to invest a lot of time.”
Tuchel is not used to having this much say and control over ins and outs.
At Paris Saint-Germain, he was merely a pawn, who at times felt inferior to star names like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Even during his early days in West London under Abramovich, there was always the sense that — although his knowledge and ideas were always respected — he never quite had the final word.
It is the opposite now, with novice Boehly throwing names out to Tuchel and seeing what sticks.
American businessman Todd Boehly has developed a close relationship with TuchelCredit: The Mega AgencyTuchel won Abramovich his second Champions League title at Chelsea last seasonCredit: Getty
Tuchel, 48, has even been informing senior players in the squad of his transfer intentions and asking their opinions.
The irony is that now he finally has his feet under the transfer table, he wishes he did not have the unwanted stress — with the new season just three weeks away.
Tuchel admitted the discussions with Boehly about new players have been “lively”, none more so than regarding Cristiano Ronaldo, a move that Chelsea have now walked away from.
Tuchel added: “It never exists where you put six names and say, ‘Bring me these players or I leave’. I have never worked like this.”
So far, it is going well. The £50m deal to get Raheem Sterling from Manchester City — Tuchel’s top target — is a great one, while a swoop for central defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli is also smart.
But Tuchel knows his partnership with Boehly is not yet foolproof.
Ahead of Chelsea’s first pre-season game today against Club America in Las Vegas, the Blues boss explained: “We will never be without mistakes.
“We make decisions together — and when they turn out not to be the best, we take responsibility.
Chelsea are currently in Las Vegas for their pre-season tour of AmericaCredit: Getty
“We don’t hide and point the finger at somebody else.
“Chelsea tried to build the best team possible in the last transfer period — and sometimes we could have made better decisions.”
Last summer’s re-signing of Romelu Lukaku for £97.5m springs to mind, a player Chelsea have sent back on loan to Inter Milan.
Tuchel and Boehly cannot afford another Lukaku-sized mistake with Manchester City and Liverpool so dominant.
The German added: “They have set the bar so high — but we start again from scratch.
“I can promise you we will not give up. The team will be strong.”
