Thomas Tuchel eager to keep want-away Chelsea stars amid injury crisis, with Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi still attracting interest as the transfer window nears its conclusion
- Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is eager to keep the remainder of his squad
- Several players have been linked with moves away from the club this summer
- Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi are among those attracting interest
- Chelsea are struggling with injuries and could be light on numbers for a while
Thomas Tuchel says he will not be encouraging any of his want-away or wanted players to leave after being hit by a number of injuries.
A string of Chelsea stars are either keen to move on themselves to play more often or being targeted by other clubs ready to offer more regular football including Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Trevor Chalobah, Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Billy Gilmour.
But injuries to N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Broja and Pulisic have reduced Tuchel’s options this week and his desire to sanction any departures.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is keen to keep the rest of his squad together this window
Kante will be out for ‘several weeks’ with a hamstring injury, Broja for ‘days,’ while Kovacic will also miss Sunday’s Leeds trip to ongoing ‘knee problems.’
Though Pulisic could travel to Elland Road after training today following an Achilles issue.
Tuchel said: ‘I know there are a lot of talks but [I] will also not comment on our players. We will not encourage our players to go out at the moment. We had now two training sessions [this week] with 18 players and in a schedule where we play once a week, it is not a problem.
‘But if I look a little bit, raise the chin up a little bit and look at the schedule that is coming with Southampton during the week and two Champions League matches, it’s coming.
N’Golo Kante is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a serious hamstring injury
Mateo Kovacic is also currently injured, leaving Tuchel light on options in midfield
‘It’s in front of the door. We will need a lot of players and quality players to be competitive. At the moment, as I said, we have what we have. We know what we’re…