Tuchel addresses Chilwell future at Chelsea

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:44 CDT
• 3 min read

New Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says he understands if Ben Chilwell is concerned over his future at the club.

Tuchel has brought Marcos Alonso back into the fold after he was frozen out by former manager Frank Lampard.

That means Chilwell, a £45 million signing from Leicester City, suddenly faces big competition for his place in the side.

It was Alonso who started the Premier League wins against Burnley and Tottenham.

And he came on for Chilwell in the second half when the England defender got the nod against Sheffield United.

Tuchel confirmed Chilwell will have to fight for his place.

But he insisted the 24-year-old would still get the chance to develop at Chelsea.

“Yes, if he is [worried] I can understand,” Tuchel told reporters.

“He has had some difficult decisions go against him where they were tight choices.

“I took the choice for Marcos where we played with a five [against Burnley] because he was more familiar with the position.

“He played there [at left wing-back] under Antonio Conte and we opted for Marcos against Burnley for his strengths in the air for headers to defend and attack set-pieces.

“Marcos had a really good match where he scored a decisive goal and from there it was hard [for Chilwell] to come back for Tottenham.

“We didn’t make changes in this position.”

Chelsea boss Tuchel has spoken to Chilwell

Tuchel has held talks with Chilwell and asked the player to trust him.

The Chelsea boss added: “I spoke to him before the Tottenham match.

“I said, ‘You have to trust me now that I see your talent and potential’.

“I see also with Chilly a very nice guy, reflective guy and an intelligent guy.

“I maybe felt in the first days that it is possible that he thinks a lot about this situation.

“But hopefully not too much because he can trust himself and us as a staff that he can keep pushing and we will find possibilities to reward him.

“He showed a good performance at Sheffield United and it was important for him and the team.

“Sometimes it takes a little time and there are hard decisions at the moment, at a club like Chelsea, with a squad of 22 players.”

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Tuchel added: “Hopefully, we don’t have a lot of injuries but we have to deal with these situations.

“It is my job to not lose these players and to help them not lose the trust. If he keeps on going, as a fantastic guy, he has a lot of potential and we will find possibilities for him on the pitch.

“At the same time, we wanted to give a fair start to everybody and not judge the amount of money that the club has spent but give everybody a feeling of a fresh start.

“Yes, Marcos is at the moment a guy who took advantage of this situation but it is not the end of Chilly’s development. That’s for sure.”

Unbeaten in five games under Tuchel, Chelsea host Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday.