The German previously suggested that the Blues held weekly talks over launching a transfer bid for the Borussia Dortmund star
Thomas Tuchel claims that he “fell into a trap” when he indicated that Chelsea regularly discussed a move for Erling Haaland.
The German previously suggested that the Blues held weekly talks over launching a transfer bid for the Borussia Dortmund star.
Speaking now however, the manager stated that his comments were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but acknowledged that the context of his words likely gave the wrong impression in the end.
What has been said?
“I fell into a trap,” Tuchel said when reflecting on his words. “I got an award in Germany, an award from a newspaper. They gave me this award and asked me about a player.
“Normally I never, never speak about other players, because I simply never do. We were making more or less fun about it and I should have known better.
“Because in making fun about it and being a nice guy to answer a question […] getting this award I joke about a double striker with Romelu [Lukaku} in October and it gets like we put an offer in. That was the context, but I should have known better.”
What were Tuchel’s original comments?
Previously, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss indicated that Haaland was a priority target when discussing the matter with Bild following his aforementioned award.
“We talked about Erling Haaland a couple of times, including during the transfer window,” he said. “But then it seemed absolutely unrealistic and not at all feasible.
“We talk about him regularly, of course, because he’s a fantastic player and clearly the defining figure at Dortmund, who is a big rival for us in the Champions League.”
The bigger picture
Given their success in the Champions League last term and their solid start to the new campaign, Chelsea could well be a destination for Haaland if he is to move elsewhere.
The Leeds-born Norway international is Dortmund’s flagship figure following Jadon Sancho’s exit, and the club will face a tough fight to keep him on their books long term.
Other European heavyweights will be in the fight to capture his signature however, setting a tough task for Tuchel to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
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