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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel wants Christian Pulisic stay but insists ‘no decisions’ made for summer
Thomas Tuchel previously coached Chelsea star Christian Pulisic at Borussia Dortmund
(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Thomas Tuchel wants Christian Pulisic to remain at Chelsea, telling the American winger to “stay positive” as he battles through more fitness issues.
Pulisic has yet to start a Premier League match under the new Blues boss, restricted to substitute appearances against Wolves, Burnley and Tottenham.
The USA star - also coached by Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund - did get 80 minutes under his belt during last week’s FA Cup fifth-round win against Championship opponents Barnsley at Oakwell, but subsequently missed the 2-0 top-flight defeat of Newcastle on Monday night.
He is also a major doubt for Saturday’s trip to Southampton due to a calf problem.
A solution to Pulisic’s fitness problems was also a conundrum for Tuchel’s predecessor Frank Lampard, while reports earlier this week suggested that Chelsea could even look to sell one of the 22-year-old or Hakim Ziyech at the end of the season.
And while Tuchel insists that “absolutely no decisions” have yet been made for the summer amid a hectic run of fixtures since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, he was clear in his desire for Pulisic to remain at the club.
“But it’s not only my point of view, we have to see. But for me, clearly yes,” Tuchel said. “Chelsea bought Christian for a reason - for his quality, for his potential and it’s our job to bring out the best in him.
“He proved in many weeks that he has the level to be a Chelsea regular player, to have a big impact at this club and it’s a challenge now to maintain the level and to keep improving.”
On Pulisic’s latest absence, he added: “We are not concerned or worried but the medical department is on that. Now we have some little issues in the calf and he stopped training yesterday before it became an injury so I would not say that it is an injury at the moment. It’s risk management that relates to his history of having injuries so we do not want to enter in the same cycle.
“It’s sometimes like this and the main thing for Christian is to stay positive, keep his head up and be ready because he can have a big impact when he starts and he can have a big impact when he comes from the bench with his intensity.”
Ziyech has had even less of an impact under Tuchel than Pulisic, featuring in the German’s first game in charge against Wolves but not again until starting in the win over Barnsley.
The Moroccan international - a summer signing from Ajax - had previously proven himself to be one of Chelsea’s most influential performers under Lampard, with Tuchel taking the blame for his lack of first-team chances over recent weeks.
“It’s my fault, actually. It’s not his fault,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s my decisions. It’s the same for some other players - there were some hard decisions to make. This is a good thing - it means we have quality.
“There are some decisions for other players that means Hakim suffers a little bit. I can absolutely understand and agree with that, so it’s my responsibility and my fault that he cannot show more of his potential. But when I look at the schedule we can be sure that we need all of our players.
“No matter how hard times are for you personally, I cannot say one bad thing for Hakim. He’s working hard and he needs to show that he’s ready because when the moment comes - I cannot tell you when the moment comes - but we expect the best Hakim Ziyech.
“This is not easy, I can admit, but this is how it sometimes is in a club like Chelsea with a squad that keeps winning. Sometimes you have to wait. Things will turn around if he takes care that he is in shape, in the right mood and ready when he’s needed.”
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