‘If we lose Neymar, I won’t sleep’ – What Tuchel thinks of Chelsea’s PSG transfer target
Robin Bairner
- 9 Jul 2022 21:04 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have been linked with a possible transfer for PSG attacker Neymar, who is reportedly being made something of an outcast at the club.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel knows that the Brazil international is capable of, having coached him for the two-and-a-half years that he spent with the Parc des Princes side.
There have been reports that he is in dispute with owner Todd Boehly over a deal for the PSG, with Tuchel fighting against the idea – but that comes in contrast to what he said of the South American during his time with the Ligue 1 team.
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Tuchel on Neymar
Back in the summer of 2019, it appeared that Neymar might leave PSG to return to Barcelona. It was a fight the French outfit eventually won, but there were significant seeds of doubt case – and Tuchel admitted that it worried him.
“He’s decisive for us,” Tuchel told Canal+. “If we lose Neymar, I won’t sleep. It’s difficult to lose him and find another guy doing the same thing for us.
“I want him here and the players do too. That’s the reality. But we have to find solutions without him too.
“I am trying to convince him to stay. But on the other hand, it's a personal thing.”
Tuchel did, however, have run-ins with the Brazil attacker, notably on the rare occasions when he was replaced. That led to a comment last October to Sportweek.
“It’s easier to coach Romelu Lukaku than Neymar or Kylian Mbappe,” he admitted.
But Tuchel surely wouldn’t turn down Mbappe at Chelsea if he were offered him, so that means there are no guarantees that he would dismiss the prospect of signing Neymar, a player who was prolific when fit under his watch.
Could we yet see Neymar at Stamford Bridge this season, then? With Raheem Sterling set to join Chelsea, it seems unlikely, but it should not be entirely ruled out.
