“It’s not my favorite thing to do and in the long term the focus has to be on coaching because that’s why I’m here,” Tuchel said. “But right now, of course, my help is needed and wanted, and of course I need to step up and take responsibility.
“I am in direct contact with Todd on a daily basis and sometimes more than once a day because we are aware that we have a club in transition and change. My concern is for the team to be competitive and for that we have to invest a lot of time and we have to be healthy. There is no other way.
“We compete not only against the best teams, but also against the best managers. We have to be competitive and replace the big players and infuse quality. I think it’s important that everyone at Cobham takes a bit more responsibility, not just me.”
New signing Raheem Sterling was one of the first names Tuchel introduced to Boehly after the takeover, with Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter on loan the first major outing the pair worked on together.
“He was the absolute number one for this position”
Tuchel gave Lukaku the green light to leave, just 12 months after becoming Chelsea’s club record £97.5m signing, after the striker made it clear he was keen on a return to Inter.
“There was never a meeting where I said, ‘I want this guy gone,'” Tuchel said. “Never. I’ve always been clear – if he stays, we’ll do everything to put him in a better place, get him in better shape, improve our training style, our playing style, make him more fit .
“There was always an option for him to stay, but Romelu made it very clear that he wanted to leave and the owners decided to make the decision immediately.
“Disappointed is the wrong word. I don’t know a better word in English. I feel like I take it personally – it’s never personal. I’m not happy we didn’t get more out of him. Maybe it would just take a little longer. A little more fitness, a little more adaptation in our game. Who knows? But we won’t know. After Romelu gave his clear opinion on the situation and there was a solution on the table, the owners made their choice and received my blessing.”
Just as Lukaku departed with Tuchel’s blessing, Sterling arrived with a ringing endorsement from his new manager, who has put the striker at the top of his summer wish list.
“He was the absolute number one for that position. I gave his name to Todd straight away,” said Tuchel, before being asked to pinpoint the exact moment he decided he wanted Sterling.
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