Thomas Tuchel admits frustration at Romelu Lukaku interview

 

Thomas Tuchel has admitted that he did not approve of Romelu Lukaku publicly stating that he was 'not happy with the situation' at Chelsea.

Lukaku created headlines when an interview conducted several months ago with Sky Sports Italia circulated on Thursday. In quotes reported ahead of its full release on New Years' Eve, the Belgian also admitted that he wished to return to Inter in the future.

Asked about the striker's comments before Chelsea's game against Liverpool, Tuchel admitted that the story has been an unwelcome distraction at Stamford Bridge.

"We don't like it of course. It brings noise that we don't need and it's not helpful. We don't want to make more out of it than it actually is. It is easy to take lines out of context, shorten lines, make headlines and then realise later that it is not so bad," he said.

"I totally understand the process and that is why it is a lot of noise, not a little noise. But still, we are not here to read the headlines. We can take the time to try and understand what is going on because it does not reflect the daily work, attitude and behaviour which Romelu  shows here at Cobham."

He added: "If you are such a big player like Romelu, it is always in the public. He should know what kind of value he has when he speaks out with messages like this. Everything is easier when we win."

Tuchel went on to point out that although dressing room harmony may be lacking at Chelsea  at the moment following a few disappointing results, this is not always a bad thing.

"The dressing room might not always be in harmony," he continued.

"Sometimes it is good to be on the edge, in disharmony. With Romelu, I don't think that anybody in this building is unaware that he is unhappy. I can see no reason why he should be like this. That's all I can say."