Thomas Tuchel eager to keep want-away Chelsea stars amid injury crisis

Thomas Tuchel says he will not be encouraging any of his want-away or wanted players to leave after being hit by a number of injuries.

A string of Chelsea stars are either keen to move on themselves to play more often or being targeted by other clubs ready to offer more regular football including Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Trevor Chalobah, Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Billy Gilmour.

But injuries to N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Broja and Pulisic have reduced Tuchel’s options this week and his desire to sanction any departures.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is keen to keep the rest of his squad together this window

Kante will be out for ‘several weeks’ with a hamstring injury, Broja for ‘days,’ while Kovacic will also miss Sunday’s Leeds trip to ongoing ‘knee problems.’

Though Pulisic could travel to Elland Road after training today following an Achilles issue.

Tuchel said: ‘I know there are a lot of talks but [I] will also not comment on our players. We will not encourage our players to go out at the moment. We had now two training sessions [this week] with 18 players and in a schedule where we play once a week, it is not a problem.

‘But if I look a little bit, raise the chin up a little bit and look at the schedule that is coming with Southampton during the week and two Champions League matches, it’s coming.

N’Golo Kante is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a serious hamstring injury

Mateo Kovacic is also currently injured, leaving Tuchel light on options in midfield

‘It’s in front of the door. We will need a lot of players and quality players to be competitive. At the moment, as I said, we have what we have. We know what we’re looking for. From there we go and only from there we can think about letting players go.’

Chelsea are chasing a string of targets ahead of the September 1 transfer deadline which could pave the way for exits to be granted.

Talks over a move for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are progressing, with Chelsea hoping to secure Tuchel’s former Borussia Dortmund forward for a fee of around £20m.

Anthony Gordon (left) and Wesley Fofana (right) could both sign for Chelsea this summer

Chelsea also remain keen to strike deals for, among others, Leicester defender Wesley Fofana, who they have agreed personal terms with, Everton winger Anthony Gordon and Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Tuchel said: ‘We work together on reinforcements but it’s never easy and it’s not like we can just wish for something and it will happen.

‘As long as the transfer window is open, there are always possibilities. We know what we are trying, we know what we are doing. The focus is on what we have, not what we could have. ‘The focus from me is the team, they get their full energy and full attention from us.’