Oh Jesus! Chelsea pair Boehly and Tuchel fell out over Arsenal transfer
Robin Bairner
- 9 Sept 2022 20:52 BST
- 3 min read
Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea on Wednesday in the wake of a 1-0 Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
While the Blues’ results early in the season have been disappointing, it has since emerged that there was significant backroom tension between Tuchel and the club’s new owners over the course of the summer transfer window.
Although Tuchel was allowed to spend a world-record figure in the transfer market, there were significant differences between the manager and owner Todd Boehly with regards to players who were transfer targets.
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FootballTransfers previous revealed that Tuchel rejected the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United at the board’s behest, but it appears that Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus was a major point of controversy between the two.
The owners, The Athletic reports, were eager to sign Gabriel Jesus in the early part of the summer only to be told by Tuchel that he did not want a centre forward. It is added that Tuchel then performed a U-turn on the deal by which time the board had cooled on the player and elected not to move.
In the end, Chelsea settled on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who arrived from Barcelona late in the transfer window.
Gabriel Jesus a season-defining signing
The evidence from Arsenal is that Gabriel Jesus could have been a vital signing for Chelsea. The 25-year-old has been excellent at the Emirates this season, playing six Premier League matches and contributing three goals and three assists.
Indeed, the Brazil international can lay claim to being one of the signings of the summer to date, although his absence has been quickly forgotten by Manchester City thanks to the incredible goal scoring of Erling Haaland.
Chelsea, meanwhile, can only look enviously to their rivals with regards these two exciting attacking additions this summer.
