Thomas Tuchel Needs To Repay Chelsea Backing After Todd Boehly’s Fulfilled Transfer Promise

It’s been a busy summer for Chelsea which was kickstarted by the arrival of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium who completed the £4.25 billion takeover of the club at the end of May. 

Since then, a lot has happened at Stamford Bridge. Changes to the board have been made, Petr Cech, Bruce Buck and Marina Granovskaia have all left, while some replacements have been brought in, including Tom Glick who is now the club’s new President of Business.

But as the movement happens off the pitch, plenty has been happening regarding on-the-field activities. Co-owner Todd Boehly was quick to hold talks with Thomas Tuchel over their plans for the Men’s team in west London, which included the look of his squad for the upcoming 2022/23 season. 

Meetings were held between the pair and promises, big promises were made. Tuchel was given full control and support over the summer transfer window. 

Whoever Tuchel wanted, the club’s hierarchy would try to get. Whoever Tuchel wanted to offload, the club would do their best to satisfy and meet his wishes. 

That started with the departure of Romelu Lukaku back to Inter Milan. Boehly had to be convinced but with Tuchel wanting to get rid of their club-record signing after just one season, the signs were there, the Chelsea head coach was getting backed and the promises were being fulfilled. 

As weeks have gone by, the transfer business in terms of incomings has started to take shape. The club secured Tuchel’s number one attacking target with Raheem Sterling arriving from Manchester City. 

"It was the number one priority and we are very excited and super happy that we could make it happen," said Tuchel earlier this month.

"He's a big improvement to our squad and is exactly what we were looking for in terms of age, experience, and style of play.

"Once the players arrive these days in a situation where they only have one year (left on their) contract, there's always room for negotiation and possibility. We went for it. We could convince him very quickly. He was convinced, he did everything that was needed to do, we gave our best to make it happen. It's a perfect fit.

"He gives us a lot of flexibility, mobility and attacking options at the front."

Following the defensive departures of both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, Tuchel needed replacements. The first arrived through the doors of Stamford Bridge last week: Kalidou Koulibaly was signed from Napoli in a deal worth in excess of £33 million. 

Lukaku’s exit and the arrivals of Sterling and Koulibaly have already lifted the mood in the Chelsea camp, who are currently out in the United States for their pre-season tour, with games against Charlotte FC and Arsenal still left to play.

But there are plenty more arrivals still to come at Chelsea this summer, as well as departures. Jules Kounde is believed to be on the verge of joining as talks progress with Sevilla over a €50 million plus add-ons fee, while Presnel Kimpembe of PSG is also wanted. 

Josko Gvardiol has also been earmarked should a deal for Kimpembe or Kounde fail, highlighting Chelsea’s planning and determination to fulfil their promise to Tuchel to the absolute maximum.

Tuchel publicly revealed this week that they have a figure in mind over how many more additions they need in order to compete next season against Manchester City, Liverpool and others for the Premier League title.

He said: "I have a figure. I think we need a couple more players to improve the squad.

"We are third last season. There was a gap. In general, if you want to keep your position or fight, you need to improve.

“We even lost players. It is common sense we need to bring new quality to the team to maintain our level, not even speaking about improving our level."

Chelsea have a lot of players whose futures are still unclear, many of whom are attracting interest from top clubs, including Armando Broja. Tuchel wants him to stay, and he is likely to get his wish if it’s the best decision for all involved. 

Boehly and co have shown their support, and are continuing to in the transfer market. They are following the saying of ‘actions speak louder than words’. Now it’s on Tuchel to deliver and repay his bosses. The early signs are there, but the real business doesn’t start until 6 August when Chelsea kick off their 2022/23 Premier League campaign against Everton. 

Tuchel has done his talking, not wanting any excuses to be pulled, saying: “I want to be ready when we play Everton (in the first game of the season).

"I want to win and I will demand it from myself, my team and all my players. The team will be strong.

“I am not ready to use it as an excuse even though it is maybe true that we are in transition.

"We can, I can focus, I think the team can focus on what makes us strong and we can take it step by step and work out how to win games.”

Boehly’s done his talking, he’s delivering. Tuchel’s doing his talking, now it’s on him to deliver as long as the owners keep on backing him like they have done so far. It’s looking very positive in the capital for the Blues. Now it’s all eyes on the rest of pre-season getting the squad ready in a bid to win the club’s first league title since 2017.