Thomas Tuchel pledges future to Chelsea despite Roman Abramovich selling up

Thomas Tuchel has pledged his future to Chelsea amid Roman Abramovich’s decision to sell the Stamford Bridge club.

Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich revealed his decision to sell Chelsea on Wednesday night after 19 years as owner.

Chelsea have already received several serious bids, with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and American magnate Todd Boehly teaming up in a consortium offer.

Tuchel has led Chelsea to the Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup titles since joining the Blues in January 2021, and insisted Stamford Bridge remains the “perfect fit” for him.

The German manager has accepted the uncertain future around Chelsea’s ownership, but is confident the Blues will remain robust whoever takes over from Abramovich.

Asked if the impending sale would alter his position, Tuchel replied: “No, I have the opposite of a problem staying here.

“I’ve said many times that I love working in the Premier League, I love being in England, I feel the tradition and the love for sports in general and for football in particular.

“This is an amazing place to be. Chelsea is for my point of view, for me, the perfect fit. I love to be here, I love everything about the club and hopefully it continues.

“There is now an uncertainty, but isn’t it always as a football manager? So I am used to it on of course different levels, and this is quite the level I have to be honest. I am positive, and I hope things will end well.”

Technical director Petr Cech briefed Chelsea’s players and staff on the latest information on Abramovich’s sale on Thursday.

While Tuchel admitted Cech could offer no assurances, he insisted everyone in the Blues’ squad and staff knows how to keep focused on the football.

“We had a briefing here after the game, the day after the match, from Petr, who gave everybody in the building here, not only the players, a quick brief, and explained the situation,” said Tuchel.

“There was not too much that we didn’t already know. Of course there is uncertainty, of course everybody will feel different about this, there’s 80 people in the building.

“There were no assurances, no assurances; because how could he, how could anybody? We cannot predict the future.

“Maybe it was just more the bottom line that we can allow ourselves to keep on going, and to do what we did over the last days, to focus on sports and we are employees and we are right now still very privileged. That was more or less the message.

“Still I hope for the best outcome, still I think we have something to offer, still I think Chelsea is a strong club and will stay a strong club.

“Our owner decided to sell the club, but he sells a strong, solid and very well-organised club on the highest level.”

Tuchel was able to complete the clean sweep of global trophies for Abramovich, by defeating Palmeiras 2-1 in Abu Dhabi to claim the Club World Cup crown in February.

The Blues boss admitted the Chelsea squad should feel proud to have helped round off Abramovich’s glittering era with the club’s 21st trophy in the Russian’s tenure.

“We are very happy, we are very happy we could give him this, and win it,” said Tuchel.

“At least we closed this cycle, for him and for his effort and his passion and commitment to the club. So it was good timing on this matter.

“He was and he is a very, very passionate owner who cares actually about the team, about the club, about the performance, which, personally, is very rare and makes it very special.”

Asked if the next owner could ever match Abramovich’s success, Tuchel added: “We will see, we will see. Let’s speak in the next 20 years and then we’ll see. Whoever buys the club will be lucky to have it.”

Antonio Conte, who worked under Abramovich at Chelsea between 2016 and 2018, says his impending departure is bad news for Chelsea fans.

“My reaction, it’s very strange,” Conte, now working at Tottenham, said.

“He was the owner for many years and Chelsea in this period they won a lot of trophies. For sure, it was an amazing period of Abramovich for Chelsea.

“Now I’m listening that he wants to sell the club. For sure, it’s not good news for Chelsea fans, especially for what he did in this period that he was the owner.”

Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak has claimed to be the latest party to launch a bid to buy Chelsea, but the candidacy of the AB Group Holding boss appeared ambitious on first inspection.

Bayrak made his own Chelsea bid public, vowing “we will fly the Turkish flag in London soon”.

Chelsea owner Abramovich has stated there will be no rush in the sale, with all due process followed.