Where six players who Thomas Tuchel has axed from Chelsea are now

Thomas Tuchel has transformed Chelsea during his short spell at Stamford Bridge.

The German boss was handed the reigns with the Blues season in danger of fizzling out in the New Year.

Just a few short months later, Tuchel had steered the Stamford Bridge outfit to their second European title on a famous night in Porto.

Tuchel's side have been ruthless on the pitch this season – and their manager has been just as ruthless when it comes to selecting his side.

Here, Daily Star Sport takes a look at how a number of high-profile Chelsea stars who departed this summer after being frozen out under their new boss are getting on…

Tammy Abraham

Tammy Abraham was shipped out by Tuchel despite finishing last season as the Blues' top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions.

Despite impressing under Tuchel's predecessor, Frank Lampard, Abraham often found himself on the fringes at Stamford Bridge and failed to convince in the coveted number nine role. He tasted just 17 minutes of first team action in the final three months of the season.

Abraham was lured to Italy by former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, with the pair now enjoying life at AS Roma.

The 23-year-old was netted twice and grabbed two assists in his six Serie A games so far, with Roma currently in fourth spot – four points behind unbeaten rivals Napoli.

It's still early days following his Blues exit, but Abraham has shown he can fulfill his potential in Italy – which is perhaps why Chelsea reportedly insisted on a buyback option being included in the £34m deal that took him to Rome.

Kurt Zouma

Has Thomas Tuchel got any of these Chelsea exits wrong? Let us know in the comments section.

Kurt Zouma's move to West Ham in the final days of the summer transfer window for a reported £29.8m was an opportunity for Zouma to salvage his Premier League career.

The French defender had endured a rollercoaster time in London with the Blues, often coming in and out of the team under Tuchel and Lampard.

But Zouma now seems to have found a home with the Hammers, where he's made a big impression.

He made his bow in West Ham's impressive 2-0 win over Dynamo Zagreb in the Europa League and followed that up by featuring against Manchester United and Leeds in the Premier League.

Don't miss a thing with our football updates!

Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?

Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!

From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox – don't miss a thing.

How do you sign up?

It only takes a matter of seconds.

Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.

And that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top news stories every single morning.

You can find out more information on our email newsletter on this link here.

Zouma revealed that it was the lure of regular football that persuaded him to ditch Stamford Bridge – and it seems to be working out well for him.

"I needed to play more," he told Canal Plus. "I think it's a good club that is making great progress.

"Obviously I was in a team that was doing really well. Coming here has allowed me to compete more to play. It's a club that wants to progress and grow. And I want to be part of this project."

Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud is another name who decided to head off in search of more regular minutes this summer.

An exit for the Frenchman had been mooted in the past, but the ex-Arsenal striker remained in London and notched some memorable strikes.

Giroud's switch to AC Milan brought the curtain down on a three-and-a-half-year stay with the Blues – but he's already hit the ground running in Milan with two goals in his first three league games.

The veteran revealed that he had no choice but to escape Stamford Bridge this summer after making just three Premier League starts under Tuchel.

"I really liked the Premier League, but you get to a point where a decision has to be made," Giroud told Telefoot, via Get French Football News.

"My last three months over there – and this I said to the manager, Tuchel – were too difficult. It seemed evident that I had to leave the club."

Fikayo Tomori

Although Tomori didn't actually feature under Tuchel after spending last year on loan at AC Milan, the German boss was still happy to sanction a deal for Tomori to make a permanent switch to Italy.

Tomori was a key performer under Lampard, both at Stamford Bridge and during his loan spell at Derby, but was deemed surplus to requirements.

It's a move that came under scrutiny following Tomori's resurgent form in Milan last year.

His impressive displays saw him on the verge of a shock call-up to the England 2020 squad. Although that failed to materialise, Milan were still more than happy to fork out £30m to acquire the Blues academy graduate for good.

The 23-year-old has picked up where he left off last year by being an ever-present in Stefano Pioli's side – something that he failed to manage during his time at Chelsea.

Ross Barkley

The fact that Ross Barkley remains at Stamford Bridge is more due to the lack of potential suitors rather than Tuchel's preference.

It was expected that the ex-Everton man would depart the Blues in the summer, and for the right price, he was certainly free to do so.

But with the transfer window now closed, Barkley has three months to try and force his way into the German's plans or put himself in the shop window.

Right now, both look unlikely.

Barkley's career has stalled pretty much ever since he chose to swap Merseyside for London back in 2018.

He showed glimpses of reviving his career during a loan spell at Aston Villa last year, but he's now floundering on the Blues bench. It's difficult to see any way back for Barkley under Tuchel right now, despite his brief cameo in Wednesday night's loss at Juventus in the Champions League.

Davide Zappacosta

Davide Zappacosta's four-year stay in London came to an end this summer after he returned to Serie A side Atalanta.

After impressing in his debut season, Zappacosta's battle for a spot in the Blues first team has recently seen him lock horns with club stalwart Cesar Azpillicueta and Reece James – a tandem he was he never likely to overcome.

But, after impressing on loan at Genoa last term, the Italian has already shown that he can reignite his career in Italy after spending the majority of his time at Stamford Bridge in the wilderness.

The full-back has featured prominently for Atalanta so far this term and has already grabbed his first goal since returning to the club in the 2-1 win over Sassuolo earlier this month.

Source: Read Full Article