Thomas Tuchel responds to Timo Werner following Chelsea exit talk
Cameron Smith
- 21 Jul 2022 16:02 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has insisted that Timo Werner should be "one of the happiest people on the planet" after the Germany international revealed he wants more game time this season.
Werner, 26, joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig in 2020, but has struggled to translate his goal-scoring form from the Bundesliga to the Premier League.
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As a result, Romelu Lukaku was signed last summer, while Raheem Sterling has now been added this transfer window.
Werner was briefly linked to Juventus following Chelsea's pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt earlier this summer, but transfer talk has gone quiet of late. Even so, Werner has revealed that he isn't happy with how things are going at Chelsea.
He insisted: "First of all, the most important thing is that I am happy. I am happy when I play and score goals. That’s the fact. That’s what I should take care of and the other things will come.
"It is clear I want to play more and I should play more to first be in good shape for the World Cup and also, to have a chance to play at the World Cup.
"I think it doesn’t change anything whether it is a winter World Cup or in the summer. I think if I play half or the season or the whole season, I should play."
Werner missed out on Chelsea's pre-season friendly to Charlotte FC, with Tuchel admitting that a hamstring problem kept him out of contention. Chelsea's head coach also responded to Werner's recent comments.
What has Tuchel said?
In reply to his forward, Tuchel said: "I'm surprised [by his comments], I would be very happy as a young guy having a contract at Chelsea Football Club. I would be one of the happiest people on the planet.
In response to Werner's request of more minutes, Tuchel revealed: "He needs to get his game time," and then admitted how this would be possible.
"Show quality, take your place and defend your place," he said. "I would be one of the happiest people on the planet having a contract with Chelsea. If he said this, I do not understand."
Tuchel also admitted that Werner was in his plans for the upcoming season, in which Chelsea will be hoping to build on their third-place finish in the Premier League last time out.
