The ‘power move’ of Wesley Fofana’s New York medical, praise for Marina Granovskaia going down badly… and THAT Ronaldo issue: New details emerge of how Tuchel and Boehly fell out at Chelsea
- Wesley Fofana had Chelsea medical in New York despite Thomas Tuchel’s wishes
- The former manager wanted the defender to be integrated quickly into the team
- Fofana made costly error against Dinamo Zagreb in Champions League defeat
- It was among the reasons why Tuchel’s relationship with Boehly broke down
Fresh details have emerged on the final days of Thomas Tuchel’s reign as Chelsea manager and the German’s fallout with club owner Todd Boehly.
Boehly ordering new £69.5million signing Wesley Fofana to have his medical in New York angered Tuchel as it was viewed as a ‘power move’ by the American – and was one of several reasons why their relationship fell apart.
Tuchel had wanted Fofana to be integrated quickly into the team after he finally joined the club from Leicester at the end of the summer transfer window.
German news outlet Sport Bild has reported the new American owner ‘didn’t care’ about the time the defender would lose through travelling to the USA and the five-hour time difference that could give him jet lag compared to his teammates – even though he knew what Tuchel’s wishes for the player were.
Chelsea signed defender Wesley Fofana (right) from Leicester City for a fee of £70million
Fofana had to do his medical for Chelsea in New York which postponed his arrival to the squad
The decision from Boehly, against the manager’s wishes, left Tuchel fuming as he was not able to get as much time with the player as he had planned before handing him his debut.
Even the defender was surprised at the location of the medical as he is quoted saying: ‘I thought we’d do it in London.’
The delay to Fofana’s integration with the squad was clear to see in his Champions League debut against Dinamo Zagreb as the Blues were defeated 1-0 in the Champions League group stage opener.
The 21-year-old defender was caught out of position for Mislav Orsic’s 13th-minute goal that proved to be the winner in what turned out to be Tuchel’s last game in charge of the blues.
Fofana deputised as Dinamo Zagreb beat Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel…