Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner has identified the “biggest problem” Thomas Tuchel faced at Stamford Bridge before he was sacked as head coach.
Werner arrived at the Premier League club in 2020 after Chelsea activated his £45m release clause in his RB Leipzig contract at the time.
The 26-year-old former Chelsea star lifted the Champions League title under former Blues boss Tuchel, with Werner starting in the final against Manchester City.
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However, Werner struggled with his goalscoring form in England and only managed to score 10 times in 56 appearances for Chelsea.
The Germany international made his return to Leipzig in 2022 after two seasons with Chelsea, with Werner signing a deal with his current club until 2026.
Speaking to The Sun, Werner said it was his “toughest moment” at Chelsea after Tuchel opted for Romelu Lukaku ahead of him after their Champions League win.
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“The biggest problem was he [Tuchel] put a striker like Lukaku in front of me in the second season after I won the Champions League by nearly playing every game in the first squad,” he explained.
“That was the toughest moment for me to get a player, a very good player, in front of me for 120 million euros. Romelu was a big striker and had to play after costing so much and I didn’t feel honoured enough.
“Maybe that was also a reason why I had ups and downs.”
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Chelsea smashed their then-club-record transfer to bring Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan for a reported £97.5m fee.
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However, Lukaku endured an ill-fated second spell with Chelsea and openly criticised Tuchel over his tactics in a bombshell interview.
The 29-year-old Belgium striker spent one season with Chelsea in his second spell before he returned to the San Siro last summer in a season-long loan deal.
Speaking on his time at Chelsea, Werner suggested that he was “forgotten” about by Tuchel and his return to Leipzig allowed him to find “enjoyment again.”
“I had a very good first six months at Chelsea, which was what the supporters and club expected of me. I scored the goals and played good games,” he said.
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“When you come from the kind of success I had in Germany or with Chelsea -- playing nearly every game in the first season, winning the Champions League in 2021, scoring in the semi-final against Real Madrid, making a lot of goals.
“Then all this gets a little bit forgotten by the manager, it was not really fair. That was also a reason I had to move back to Leipzig, to get the enjoyment again.
“I didn’t feel that any more but you need it to be successful. Maybe yes, in the end I just wanted out.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Timo Werner, Chelsea, Premier League, Football, England, Thomas Tuchel, Romelu Lukaku