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Football London

Sport

Daniel Childs

Chelsea transfer hypocrisy exposed after Thomas Tuchel's surprising Nathan Ake wish

Thomas Tuchel Nathan Ake Chelsea Todd Boehly Jules Kounde Matthijs de Ligt Raheem Sterling Jonathan Clauss

Social media does not take kindly to the centre, to the undecided or to those who like to weigh up both sides of an argument before coming to a conclusion.

You must now bow at the alter at whatever certain belief system you have. In regards to football, it is about whether you believe in the current coach or not, whether you believe in the academy or not, and whether the new kits are a complete disaster or, well, just a disaster.

A lot of this blind resistance to nuance leads down pretty toxic paths but also hits a brick wall pretty quickly when logic comes into the conversation.

This is very relevant in the case of Chelsea fans and the belief in backing Thomas Tuchel in the transfer window this summer.

New co-owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly has handed the German major influence over targets this window, and there is hope Tuchel can be given the adequate tools to shape the squad he desires.

The intention to give Tuchel a say over transfers has logic, particularly looking at how both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have gained power over the past five years at Manchester City and Liverpool. With the desire to see Chelsea resolve their recent transfer woes and build a more consistent squad to suit Tuchel's approach.

The phrase "back Tuchel" has been in liberal use since January, even before the club was taken over by Boehly and Clearlake. Those who have been most vocal in support of Tuchel's vision have been quite dismissive to anyone questioning targets the coach likes, sometimes hitting back with the argument that Tuchel is an elite coach, so he knows better.

Which on its own is a pretty boring dead end to any conversation amongst supporters if the retort is always, "you don't work in the game, so what do you know?".

But in recent weeks, its become more challenging for those in full support of Tuchel's vision when they have started to come to terms with the fact he may want players they don't rate as highly. No more was this evident than the pretty negative reaction that the Blues are in talks to re-sign Nathan Ake from Manchester City.

As reported by The Telegraph on Monday evening, Tuchel has admired the 27-year-old defender since his time at Borussia Dortmund and could see his versatility and experience aid Chelsea's defence next season.

Nathan Ake and Raheem Sterling are reported targets for Thomas Tuchel this summer (2022 Getty Images)

Chelsea Twitter was not happy, not only questioning the logic of the signing but the quality of the player. We did see something similar arise last summer following the Champions League victory. Questioning Tuchel or the club on anything would usually trigger a lot of ire, screaming at you to "BACK THE CLUB". But as soon as reports emerged that Tuchel was an admirer of Declan Rice, that backing wained.

It has become pretty clear that to some, the limit for backing Tuchel only goes as far as someone's liking of a target. As soon as Tuchel wants a player you do not rate, then either the report cannot be believed, or someone else is to blame.

The same could be said with rejection to the pursuit of Raheem Sterling from City as well. A player Tuchel has taken the time to personally contact in order to persuade the England international of a move to Stamford Bridge.

Blindly agreeing with everything one coach wants might have some drawbacks. You are allowed to have your own opinions, blindly believing in anything is pretty foolish and can force you into partaking in mental gymnastics to withhold your position.

Rather than sitting back, taking every target in its own context, weighing up the pros and cons before coming to your conclusion.

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