Timo Werner pinpoints 'biggest problem' for Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, says he was 'forgotten' by the manager

Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner has identified the “biggest problem” Thomas Tuchel faced at Stamford Bridge before he was sacked as head coach.

“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.

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.

“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.”