https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2022/05/25/
tuchel-discusses-need-to-be-fast-and-smart-with-summer-business-
Tuchel discusses need to be fast and smart with summer business, reveals
plans for pre-season return and makes early assessment on next season's
title race
25 May 2022
Thomas Tuchel has insisted that he will not be switching off from matters
at the club this summer as the need to act swiftly on a variety of issues
outranks his desire for an immediate break.
https://i.imgur.com/oms2QmO.jpg
At the end of a hectic 63-game season, most of the playing squad and
backroom staff have departed for a well-deserved holiday but the Chelsea
head coach is adamant he has work to continue, with a change in ownership
of the club imminent.
Transfer plans and contract renewals have been frustratingly placed on
hold but Tuchel is hopeful that will all change soon, at which point he
has stressed the need to act fast and smartly in order to make up for lost
time in the market.
'I cannot go on holiday, it's impossible,' said the boss. 'There are too
many things to clarify and have an opinion on. It's not necessary to do
everything in person but the first days I will be here anyway and around
because my children are in school so the holidays will start with a bit of
a delay.
'It's also normal in a situation like ours that you stay in contact and
you have the possibility with Zoom and FaceTime to have calls, share
opinions and to move on forward, because we need to.
https://i.imgur.com/1fzT3E6.jpg
Tuchel is planning to stay in close contact with colleagues throughout the
summer break
'We don't really know what's going to happen - if we are able to sell, do
we want to sell, do we have a chance to get alternatives? The situation is
not only for us as the ones responsible for the rebuild and for transfers,
it's also for the players a strange situation.
'You could feel it over a long period of time. We managed to put it aside
and keep the focus but the longer it got after the international break, it
had an impact on us and it still has. Let's see when we will finally have
the chance to act and make up because the disadvantage in terms of timing
for the rebuild is big and we have to be fast and smart.'
Many of our players will be back on international duty next month and
Tuchel has revealed that those with an interrupted summer break will be
permitted a delayed return to Cobham for pre-season training.
The Blues head to the USA in July for friendlies in Las Vegas, Charlotte
and Orlando, with our German coach hopeful that he will have a full squad
available for the transatlantic tour prior to the Premier League
curtain-raiser on 5 August.
'The plan is if they play for their national teams, they will come back
one week later than the rest on 9 July,' he explained. 'Hopefully we can
do this and have everybody for the pre-season because it's a pre-season
where you have at least four weeks together and not a lot of groups are
coming at different timings.
https://i.imgur.com/Sbysthb.png
Our schedule for July's summer tour to the USA has been confirmed
'It's more or less two groups and then we have to be quick to adapt to the
qualities and the personalities of any new guys.'
With Manchester City crowned as league champions for the fourth time in
five years, the onus is on Chelsea and the chasing pack to close the gap
on Pep Guardiola's men. However, Tuchel believes our rivals will be
stronger and the challenge looks even tougher in 2022/23.
'It will be a super tough race,' he added. 'Manchester United will be in
the race, Tottenham will be in the race with Antonio Conte for sure, and
we want to stay in the race. Liverpool and Man City do everything to even
make their squads bigger and they set the standard so high.
'This is the challenge in which we compete. We have a huge disadvantage
in the moment but it's not decisive yet and there's no need to make
excuses now. It's just the situation in which we are in and we have to be
as quick as possible.
'Right now it's unsatisfying because our hands are tied and we cannot act
[in the transfer market] as we want. We have clear ideas for the profiles
and the characteristics of these players but there's normally a lot of
work to do and it will be the same to be competitive next season. While
everybody else tries to close the gap to us and while the two top teams
are what they are - a benchmark of consistency - this is the situation and
from there we will do our best to be competitive.'