Tuchel sets out how many goals ‘struggling’ Werner should be scoring for Chelsea

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:39 CDT
• 4 min read

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel believes he already has a “20 to 30-goal striker” in Timo Werner.

Tuchel, whose team are at home to local rivals Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday, accepts Werner is struggling in front of goal this season.

READ MORE: Lukaku fee would smash the Blues’ transfer record

In normal circumstances, he thinks a player of the 25-year-old’s quality should be hitting 20 to 30 goals each campaign.

Werner has seen his teamwork and creative play regularly praised by Tuchel.

But he is yet to score the goals expected of him after signing from RB Leipzig, where he was consistently prolific, in a huge €50 million deal.

Werner: Chelsea stats in 2020/21

Tuchel pointed out this is the first major blip in the career of Werner.

His answer came as he was questioned over whether Chelsea need to bring in a 20-goal forward to improve his squad in the summer.

Tuchel told Sky Sports: “You will not find one manager who will not add a 20-goal striker to his squad.

“I cannot have enough of them, if you can guarantee that.

“But this is what Chelsea bought.

“They bought Timo Werner and he is a 20 to 30-goal striker a year.

“Now he is struggling a little bit, for the first time in his career.”

‘Chelsea should not panic with Werner’

Tuchel remains optimistic that Werner will become a regular goalscorer for Chelsea.

The German added: “I have known him since he was 17. He scored every year in youth football.

“When he was 16 he played under-18, when he was 17 he played under-19 and he never stopped scoring.

“In any transfer, there are risks of adaptations, change of country, change of mentality. It needs time.

“It’s not a puzzle where you identify one piece and you go out and find the exact piece, it’s more than that.

“That is why there is no rush and no panic.”

Tuchel has often faced questions on Werner since taking charge of Chelsea.

After the Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid, he acknowledged it “does not help” Chelsea that Werner was regularly missing “big chances”.

Referencing wasted opportunities against West Ham and Madrid, Tuchel added: “We were sad and angry in the moment – this is normal.

“He is sad, he is angry and disappointed so he must put his chin up.

“He’s a top guy, a professional guy. He works hard. He’s in the positions.

“He will not stop believing. Everyone accepts the situation like it is.

“With strikers, if you score the next game, nobody speaks.”