Tuchel discusses Chelsea’s Dembele interest
Robin Bairner
- 5 Feb 2022 07:00 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has directly addressed rumours linking the club with Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele
Dembele has been at the forefront of football transfer news for much of the last month due to his public dispute with Barca.
The France international’s contract with the Camp Nou side expires in the summer and he was told in no uncertain terms to find a new club during the January transfer window.
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While several teams were linked with Dembele, there was ultimately to be no transfer for the former Borussia Dortmund star – much to the frustration of his employers.
Chelsea were one of several Premier League clubs linked with a possible mid-season swoop for Dembele, with Manchester United and Newcastle among the others.
Tuchel was asked about the transfer at a press conference on Friday and was happy to give a direct answer.
“I did not have contact with Ousmane. There was no contact in winter,” the Chelsea manager, who coached Dembele in the 2016/17 season in the Bundesliga, said.
Tuchel on Chelsea’s business
Meanwhile, the manager insisted that he is not disappointed that reinforcements were not added in key areas of the field.
"No, no frustration because I was also calm," Tuchel said. "I know what kind of quality we would need to add to a very strong group. We trust in the players that we have and it's my job to find solutions when we have injuries."
Chelsea had primarily been linked with a January transfer swoop for a left wing-back owing to an injury to Ben Chilwell, while a right wing-back might also have been added because Reece James is sidelined.
Ultimately, Chelsea did not do any business, although only Liverpool of the leading three Premier League sides signed a player who has been immediately added to their first-team squad.
