2 years ago
Thomas Tuchel makes a final call on Chelsea's hunt of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Thomas Tuchel is said to be hesitant to add Cristiano Ronaldo to his squad because of the impact it could have on Chelsea's cohesive attacking options.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has ruled out signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United this summer.
Ronaldo wants to leave United just a year after returning to Old Trafford, and the 37-year-old is the only player who has not reported to pre-season training this month due to 'family reasons.' This means that the Portuguese superstar is not among the 31-man squad that has flown to Bangkok.
Blues shareholder Todd Boehly is considering an extraordinary bid for Ronaldo, and he and Chelsea director Behdad Eghbali are keeping a close eye on the situation, but they will not move for the player unless Tuchel approves.
Ronaldo's situation has been complicated further by the fact that he appeared in the launch of United's new home kit, but recorded footage of him alongside David Beckham and Eric Cantona, which was scheduled to be released at the same time as the new kit, has been put on hold by Adidas until his future at the club is clarified.
Chelsea are set to complete the £47.5 million signing of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City this week in order to bolster their attacking options, but the loan exit of club-record signing Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan has left a gap in their forward line.
According to the Mail, Tuchel is unconvinced by Ronaldo's addition because he would not be a natural fit in his team's attack. The manager is concerned that the Portuguese superstar will disrupt their fluid attacking options, which include Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Christian Pulisic, in addition to Sterling.
This is a similar situation to the one that Manchester United faced last season, when the club had an attack that included Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford, but those plans were shelved with the addition of Ronaldo, who unbalanced the attack despite his fine personal output of 24 goals for the season.
Last year, Tuchel said of the Portuguese star, "Time will tell, but I think it is not a secret that any team in the world without Cristiano [Ronaldo] is a weaker team in some parts of the game." He is one of the greatest players in history, and he proves it every time he steps onto the field.
"Now that he's in the Premier League and the Champions League, they've lost a big champion, a big reference point, and a big personality." But it is possible to win games and be a strong team without Cristiano Ronaldo. This is also correct."
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