Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has admitted that he is struggling to understand Timo Werner’s recent suggestion that he would be happy to switch clubs in the not-too-distant future. Werner joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig back in the summer of 2020 and has already tasted Champions League glory over the course of his two-year spell in west London to date.
The German forward has often been criticised for a lack of end product, though, and has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot at Chelsea as a result of his shortcomings. He recently hinted at a desire to leave Stamford Bridge in order to make a fresh start by insisting that he ‘could be happy everywhere’ when asked if he needed clear-the-air talks earlier this week.
Tuchel has since responded to Werner’s claims by expressing his surprise and challenging the 26-year-old to earn his first-choice status by putting in the hard yards over the coming months.
“I’m surprised, I would be very happy as a young guy having a contract at Chelsea,” the Blues boss told reporters after Wednesday night’s pre-season defeat at the hands of Charlotte FC.
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“I would be one of the happiest people on the planet. He needs to get his game time. He has to show quality, take your place and defend your place.
“I would be one of the happiest people on the planet having a contract with Chelsea. If he said this, I do not understand.”
Werner opened the scoring for Chelsea in their recent friendly win over Club America but played no part against Charlotte as a result of a hamstring issue. Tuchel went on to insist that Werner remains in his plans ahead of the upcoming season, though, with the German boss adding: “Sure, he is our player, sure.”
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It remains to be seen whether Werner will be able to work his way into contention for a weekly starting berth at Chelsea by impressing Tuchel on the training pitch between now and the start of next season. He was often deployed in a supporting role over the course of the previous campaign but could be in line to return to his natural striking position in the absence of Romelu Lukaku, who rejoined Inter Milan on loan earlier this summer.
Kai Havertz will seemingly lead the line for Chelsea if Tuchel’s previous selections are anything to go by, though, potentially leaving Werner to scrap it out with the likes of Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic in the wide areas. The man from Stuttgart scored 11 goals in all competitions for Chelsea last season, chipping in with a total of six assists in the process, and will be desperate to improve by producing better numbers when the Premier League returns at the start of next month.
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