"I love working in the Premier League. I love to be in England and feel the tradition and love for football. It's an amazing place to be," said Thomas Tuchel earlier this month. "Chelsea is, from my point of view, the perfect fit. I love to be here and love everything about the club. I hope it continues."
Chelsea supporters very much feel the same way. They will not want to lose Tuchel, especially given all he has achieved since his arrival 14 months ago. There has been silverware – the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup – but more impressive is how he's led the club following Russia's horrific invasion of Ukraine.
The invasion sparked a series of events at Chelsea that led to Roman Abramovich deciding to sell the club and later being sanctioned by the UK government and the European Union. As the most senior public-facing member of staff, it was left to Tuchel to answer incredibly difficult questions. Many of which he simply didn't have the full answer to.
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Yet Tuchel almost always found the right words and struck the right tone in front of the media. He never once attempted to portray Chelsea as victims, nor asked for sympathy for the situation he and the players found themselves in. The German coach appreciated there were far bigger and more devastating events taking place. That football mattered little in comparison.
All the while, Tuchel continued his day job. He oversaw training, prepared for the constant stream of matches, and led Chelsea from his position in the dugout. Impressively, the Blues have won six out of their seven matches in all competitions since the uncertainty over the club's future began – the one they failed to win came against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final and only after a penalty shootout.
Tuchel has firmly established himself as one of the world's elite coaches at Chelsea. A man that can be trusted to lead a super club both on and off the pitch. It's no great surprise, as a result, that rivals teams have been linked with an approach for the 48-year-old, that they are willing to take advantage of the unpredictability that the Blues have been unable to free themselves off.
Manchester United were first up – the Reds supposedly interested in bringing Tuchel to Old Trafford, where he would link up with Ralf Rangnick, his former mentor. Yet when asked about those links last week, the Chelsea head coach was quick to play down the possibility of his leaving Stamford Bridge.
"There's actually no reaction at all," he said. "Do you feel me less committed to the club or less involved in the club in my situation? Absolutely not. I've said many times that I love to be here, that I love to work for Chelsea and that this club has everything that it needs to make me happy. That's why there's no need, and we have plenty of reasons to stay in the moment. This is what we do."
Yesterday came news of interest from Real Madrid. Spanish outlet Sport reported that in the event Carlo Ancelotti leaves the Bernabeu at the end of the campaign, top of Los Blancos' list to replace the former Chelsea head coach would be the current occupier of the Stamford Bridge hot seat: Tuchel.
Real Madrid possess an allure – they are deemed the biggest club in world football after all. And this summer the La Liga giants appear intent on bringing Kylian Mbappe to the Spanish capital. A move for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland, who was on Chelsea's radar last summer, has also been mooted.
Whether the Bernabeu is the right working environment for Tuchel is debatable, however. Something he has valued hugely at Chelsea is he is left to handle team matters on a day-to-day basis at Cobham. There are several coaches who would find this approach cold, impersonal even. Not Tuchel. "It's a pleasure to work here," he said at the start of this month. "It's the highest level that I have experienced."
Tuchel has also appreciated the quiet provided by Chelsea – in normal circumstances, we should add. There is no sporting director speaking to the media on a weekly basis about players' futures and transfer plans. No president going on the record to discuss the team's fortunes and the security of the head coach's position at the club.
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"It's like this in England that not a lot of people are talking at a football club, it's a structure I really appreciate," the German stated ahead of Chelsea's Champions League Round of 16 tie against Lille. "We talk inside and, of course, we have people who are in charge in different roles with different responsibilities.
"To the outside, it's more or less me that talks. Is it always comfortable? No, but I think it's necessary. I don't think too much about it. I try to be honest, give you insight, provide you with information, but more or less from a sporting side and coach's heart. This is what I try and what you can rely on."
Would Tuchel enjoy such a situation at Real Madrid? Not a chance. Club president Florentino Perez is very outspoken, a man unafraid to air his views on the team in a public sphere. Perez also has a history of interfering in team matters, be it questioning coaching decisions or forcing signings upon a coach, something Ancelotti reflected upon in his book Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches
"Florentino Perez was well known for his Galacticos approach, where the biggest and most expensive superstars in world football are recruited," Ancelotti wrote. "So players would arrive and depart who would not necessarily have been my choice, but it was my job to make the team work with whatever assets I was given.
"It is a waste of time and energy to fight against something which has already happened. You must manage it. After all, that is why we are called managers. If the president decides that, for a PR exercise, he needs the Norwegian boy (Martin Odegaard) to play three games with the first team, I will work out a way of doing that.”
Tuchel would unlikely be so accomodating. After all, he certainly didn't find it easy working at Borussia Dortmund and became frustrated when players were sold. At Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, he was unable to fully implement his tactical ideas as he had to accommodate an array of stars brought in on significant salaries. He has privately admitted he spent more time sorting dressing room disputes than coaching.
The Chelsea Tuchel currently finds himself at is certainly not ideal. He doesn't want to be answering questions about geopolitics or working out whether he and his players can travel to games via plane because of the sanctions imposed on Abramovich. Yet still the football side of things continues to run smoothly. And it's why those clubs – no matter how glamorous – hoping to lure him away are likely to end up disappointed.
