Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel definitive on striker transfer with Erling Haaland linked

Chelsea: Tuchel sends Pulisic message amid frustration

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Thomas Tuchel has issued a strong defence of Chelsea pair Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham by suggesting that he will not be looking to sign Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland or any other strikers in the summer transfer window. The Blues have struggled in front of goal in recent weeks, with both players failing to live up to expectations at the tip of Tuchel’s attacking trident.

Werner, who arrived at the beginning of the campaign for a fee in the region of £47million, has scored just five Premier League goals in 28 appearances.

The German forward has shown flashes of brilliance but appears to be taking a while to settle in at Stamford Bridge, with his goal return this season a far cry from the 34 he managed in all competitions for RB Leipzig last time out.

Meanwhile, Abraham has failed to even make the bench in each of his side’s last four league outings, seeing his opportunities limited after playing a starring role under Frank Lampard.

Tuchel was forced to start Kai Havertz as a central striker for Saturday’s trip to Leeds United, and hinted after the final whistle that the 21-year-old could occupy the role for the foreseeable future.

Despite the struggles of Werner and Abraham, the Chelsea boss has claimed that he is determined to get the pair firing on all cylinders rather than taking the easy route of finding a new recruit in the summer.

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Tuchel revealed that he is prepared to be patient with his current options in attack, highlighting their ability to effectively press from the front, but stressed that he is aware of their lack of goal threat.

“In general I’m happy because we don’t only look at the output, how much they score, how much they assist,” he told reporters.

“Of course this is something, some statistic to which every striker is attached and everybody needs to have the mentality to cope with the pressure that comes along with statistics. It’s like this in high-level football.

“But I have to say at the moment everybody is working hard, nobody is lazy, nobody is taking their time outs when we’re defending. We’re defending high, we’re defending as a block.

“We’re still looking a little bit for the breakthrough for one or two guys to go on a run and score consistently.

“Obviously that’s not the case at the moment and we will not stop pushing and stop looking for solutions to create more clear chances for them.

“That’s the way it is, but there’s no need now to reflect for the summer or reflect on solutions other than the solutions that we have.

“We have guys we are happy with and who have the potential to be more decisive, and we will try to help them.”

Chelsea have scored just 15 goals from Tuchel’s first 12 games in charge, leading to speculation that the Blues could continue their big-spending habits in the summer to bring in a top-class marksman.

Haaland is the most prominent name to have been linked with a move, with the 20-year-old establishing himself as one of the world’s best finishers since joining Dortmund 14 months ago.

It has been suggested that the Bundesliga outfit may be forced to sell either Haaland or Manchester United target Jadon Sancho to raise some much-needed funds amid the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it seems as though Tuchel is more than happy with his current set of forwards and will look to resurrect their fortunes in front of goal before turning to the transfer market.

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