MX23RW : Wednesday, March 12 07:42:37| >> :120:20861:20861:

Thomas Tuchel understands Tammy Abraham's frustrations with Chelsea playing time

Thomas Tuchel understands Tammy Abraham's frustrations with Chelsea playing time
© Reuters
Tammy Abraham looks set to slip further down the Blues' pecking order with the reported arrival of Romelu Lukaku.

Thomas Tuchel admits he understands Tammy Abraham’s frustration at Chelsea with the England striker seemingly set to make way for Romelu Lukaku.

Reports in Italy claim Abraham, who has been linked with Arsenal and West Ham, could be poised to join former Blues boss Jose Mourinho at Roma.

Even before Lukaku came on to Chelsea’s radar, Abraham had struggled for game time since Tuchel took over at Stamford Bridge in January.

Although he is in the squad for Wednesday night’s Super Cup final against Villareal in Belfast, the 23-year-old could look to move on.

“He was clearly not happy with the last half a year and he has maybe reason not to be happy,” said Tuchel.

“Maybe it was my fault not to push him and trust him at the same level as other players. I can understand he wants more minutes, so the decision will be how do we plan?

“What are Tammy’s plans? Does he fight his way back into the team from the position he ended last season? Or does he want to change the club to one where he has a better chance of being a starter?

England v Montenegro – UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifying – Group A – Wembley Stadium
Tammy Abraham has six England caps (Nick Potts/PA)

“I can understand and this is the situation. It’s quite a normal situation until the transfer window is closed. Tammy is one of the players where we constantly evaluate the situation and adapt to the needs.

“There is no news now, he is available for the starting XI tomorrow or to come off the bench.”

Tuchel refused to discuss the latest on Lukaku’s reportedly imminent £97million switch from Inter Milan back to the club he left in 2014.

But he did admit that the arrival of a big-money signing can have a detrimental effect on certain players.

“I think it is good for any squad if players with a certain quality or attitude arrive,” he added.

“At the same time, you need to be aware that not everybody is happy. If I am a defender and a big player arrives in my position, they might not be fully convinced about this arrival or even happy at all about it.

Soccer – Barclays Premier League – Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers – Stamford Bridge
Romelu Lukaku left Chelsea in 2014 (Rebecca Naden/PA)

“I think this is pretty human and we have to take care about this.”

Tuchel may have been unwilling to talk about Lukaku but defender Antonio Rudiger was happy to share his experiences of playing against the Belgium striker.

“Obviously you can see the body type. He’s a beast,” said Rudiger.

“He’s someone who is very strong and I think also he showed it in Italy over the past two years.

“He did very well over there. And also for his national team. He’s a goalscorer and for me a top striker.”

ID:458855:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6849:
Written by
P A

Click here for more stories about Thomas Tuchel

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal281510352242855
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest28156745331251
4Chelsea28147753361749
5Manchester CityMan City28145953381547
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28121064640646
8Aston Villa2912984145-445
9Bournemouth28128847341344
10Fulham2811984138342
11Crystal Palace2810993633339
12Brentford28115124844438
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs281041455411434
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd2897123440-634
15Everton2871293135-433
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2896133248-1633
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2865173857-1923
18Ipswich TownIpswich2838172658-3217
19Leicester CityLeicester2845192562-3717
20Southampton2823232068-489


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!