Thomas Tuchel is no longer the manager of Chelsea Football Club but could things have been different had a certain player come through the door of Stamford Bridge this summer?
Chelsea have spent the opening part of the season looking timid in front of goal after allowing Romelu Lukaku to join Inter Milan on loan during the latest transfer window, as the German coach opted for Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling up front as an alternative to a natural number nine.
The Belgian striker was the Blues’ big signing last summer but things never worked out and the club felt the best solution to the problem was to part ways temporarily.
That left Chelsea bare upfront and an example of the uncertainty behind the seasons at the London club during the summer can be seen with regard to the way the club approached the availability of Gabriel Jesus.
Things behind the scenes at Chelsea were not perfect and some of the owners advocated a potential move for Gabriel Jesus early in the summer but Tuchel, perhaps scarred by the Romelu Lukaku experience, insisted he did not want a number nine, states The Athletic.
The German later reversed his position on the matter but then felt frustrated when Chelsea’s owners did not pursue the deal and Jesus, who was very keen to move to Stamford Bridge, joined Arsenal instead.
That left Chelsea scrambling around for a forward and eventually landed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Deadline Day.
Jesus has thrived in North London ever since and has been one of the best players in the league. Whether the Brazilian would have made a big difference at Chelsea, will remain unknown, but with his quality on board, it is certain that the Blues would have had some better results and that might have saved Tuchel for a while longer.
