Thomas Tuchel insists he IS satisfied with Chelsea’s inactive January transfer window as he says it was ‘calm’… and reveals he did NOT speak to Barcelona flop Ousmane Dembele about a last-minute move to Stamford Bridge
- Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he is ‘satisfied’ with no signings
- The Blues were linked with host of names but nothing came to fruition last month
- Tuchel clarified club’s interest in French forward Ousmane Dembele on Friday
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he is ‘satisfied’ with the club not bringing in any fresh faces last month.
The Blues were linked with a host of names during the winter transfer window but nothing came to fruition.
Tuchel finds himself without first-choice full backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James due to injuries but the Chelsea manager was content with the club’s inactivity in the transfer market.
Thomas Tuchel insists he is satisfied with Chelsea’s inactive January transfer window
‘I am satisfied because it was a calm window and to be calm was the best thing,’ he said in his pre-match press conference for his side’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against League One Plymouth.
‘We were open for things.’
Chelsea were linked with a move for Barcelona’s £96million flop Ousmane Dembele but Tuchel clarified the club’s interest in the French forward on Friday.
Tuchel clarified the club’s interest in Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele on Friday
‘I did not have contact with Ousmane [Dembele]. There was no contact in winter between us,’ he added.
Tuchel reportedly didn’t push for a new signing in January with a new shortlist of Jules Kounde, Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni drawn up for the summer.
The Blues welcome Plymouth in domestic cup action on Saturday in the lunchtime kick-off, before heading off to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup next week.
Sevilla’s Jules Kounde (L) and West Ham’s Declan Rice are reportedly priority summer targets
They will be without Reece James for both competitions with the hamstrung full back yet to return to training.
Top-flight sides return to action this weekend following a winter hiatus with Chelsea last playing on January 23 – when they came out 2-0 winners over London rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
And Tuchel was quick to point out the significance of the break when carrying out his media duties on Friday.
‘It helped a lot,’ he said. ‘We were the team who played the most matches and had the least break between matches and that cost us a lot of energy and it was important for everybody.
‘We have a busy month ahead of us and we are looking forward to it.’