'The tension attracts situations' - Thomas Tuchel says Romelu Lukaku's agent's future talk not ideal cup final build-up
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Published 13/05/2022 at 13:23 GMT
Thomas Tuchel has his focus on preparing his team for the FA Cup final with Liverpool on Saturday, but has had to field questions about the future of striker Romelu Lukaku after the Belgium international's agent said there was a problem with his client's situation under the German at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel on Lukaku's state of mind and Chelsea's top four aspirations
Thomas Tuchel has said it is not ideal for Romelu Lukaku’s agent to be talking about his client’s future on the eve of Chelsea’s FA Cup final clash with Liverpool.
Lukaku returned to Chelsea last summer from Inter Milan in a deal reported to be worth £97 million.
He was expected to be the focal point of Chelsea’s challenge for honours, but the move has not worked out as expected and the Belgium international has found himself out of the team for portions of the season.
Lukaku caused controversy earlier in the season when he gave an interview in which he said he was not happy with his situation under Tuchel.
Talk of a return to Italy has continued to swirl, and his agent Federico Pastorello said on Thursday that “there is a problem” with Lukaku’s situation at Stamford Bridge.
Pastorello is set to seek out a meeting with Todd Boehly once the deal to buy the club is confirmed.
Tuchel had no qualms about that, but said it was not ideal that the report surfaced in the days before the FA Cup final.
“If he plans to talk with the owner then maybe it's not his plan to talk with me,” Tuchel said. “If he gets a meeting, maybe he can talk. It's his right and we will talk to anybody and evaluate the situation of any player, including Romelu.”
Reflecting on Pastorello’s comments, Tuchel said: “I just was aware of it. It is what it is sometimes in football.
“The tension attracts situations you don’t want to have before big matches, but it is the way it is.
“For me, it is not a distraction and hopefully for everyone who works with the team as well.”
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Tuchel not happy talking about Lukaku after Chelsea win
Tuchel’s focus is on the FA Cup final with Liverpool on Saturday, and the German said he could take risks on the fitness of midfielders Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante.
Kante has not featured since April 28, while Tuchel said it would take a miracle for Kovacic to be fit to face the Reds after going off injured against Leeds on Wednesday.
Both are to be put through their paces in training, and a decision will be taken on Saturday morning.
Asked if he could gamble on Kovacic and Kante, Tuchel said: “It is the moment to take risks.”
The terms of Chelsea’s limited licence due to the sanctions on Roman Abramovich mean the club cannot spend any money other than regular expenses.
Tuchel and the players got together to pay for tickets for the FA Cup final for the academy players and their families.
“It's one club and normally the club would buy these tickets for the parents and players of the academy,” Tuchel said. “So we stepped in and bought the tickets for them.”
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