Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Timo Werner is still in his plans at Chelsea, but says the forward needs to ‘take and defend’ his spot in the side.
Werner has recently raised speculation over his future at Stamford Bridge after his comments in an interview suggested he may not be at the club in the long-term future.
He said: “It is hard to say (if clear the air talks are needed).
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"First of all, the most important thing is that I am happy. I am happy when I play and score goals. That’s the fact. That’s what I should take care of and the other things will come.
"I could be happy everywhere. It is hard to say (why I've struggled for game time).”
His first season at the club saw him amass 27 goal contributions in all competitions, but this fell by ten in the 2021/22 campaign.
However, despite the uncertainty over his future at Chelsea, Tuchel has stated that the 26-year-old is still in his plans ahead of the new season.
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He revealed he was ‘surprised’ to hear of Werner’s comments, saying: "I'm surprised, I would be very happy as a young guy having a contract at Chelsea Football Club.
“I would be one of the happiest people on the planet."
Although he may be struggling for game time in west London, Tuchel believes he needs to: "Show quality, take your place and defend your place. I would be one of the happiest people on the planet having a contract with Chelsea. If he said this, I do not understand."
Tuchel was later asked if the German international still has a place at Chelsea, in which he replied with: "Sure, he is our player, sure."
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Werner was unavailable for Chelsea’s pre-season friendly match against Charlotte FC due to injury, with the Blues eventually losing on penalties against the MLS outfit.
Christian Pulisic gave the World Champions the lead in the opening half an hour at the Bank of America Stadium, before Daniel Rios equalised with a penalty in stoppage time at the end of the match.
Charlotte soon won 5-3 in the shootout, with Chelsea therefore losing their first match of the summer.
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Goalscorer Pulisic has revealed his belief that his side are not yet the full package as the new season fast approaches.
After the match he said: “We still have a lot of work to do. We are going to continue to push, obviously today we didn’t come out with the win like we’d liked.
"But we are still getting used to each other, a couple games in. I think we are going to be feeling strong once the season starts."
The American also launched a Premier League title warning to Chelsea’s rivals, stating: “We’re going to push to be right at the top of the table, that’s our goal. We’re going to take it one game at a time."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Thomas Tuchel, Timo Werner, Chelsea