Thomas Tuchel has refused to allow himself and his team become affected by the uncertainty surrounding the Blues’ long-term future, amid yesterday’s news involving Roman Abramovich.
The UK Government ‘froze’ all of Abramovich’s assets yesterday, including Chelsea FC, which has been granted special permission to continue competing in the Premier League.
However, the club’s future has been cast into doubt as a result of restrictions on ticket and merchandise sales, though Tuchel has stated that this will not affect his team.
“It would be a lie if I said we I had no doubts but I also had a lot of trusts,” Tuchel said. “In difficult circumstances, we produced a lot of results and good performances so we can trust in our mentality and the culture in the club.
“We allowed ourselves to focus on the football. As long as we have enough shirts and a bus to drive to the games we will be there and will compete hard.”
“The noise is there and of course, it is another level of distraction but still the [team] meeting was the same and the schedule going to the match was the same,” the German added. “But of course, the subject is there, the talks are going on, so there is a certain distraction.
“The level of impact it has – the news of today is big – in time we don’t know how big. We cannot influence it. That’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s a fact.
“That’s why we said in the end ‘come on, let’s focus and let’s try to enjoy. We love the game, we love the sport and we love the competition. Let’s go for it.”