Prospective Chelsea owners must make it their first priority to reignite interest in Aurelien Tchouameni, following the Blues' defeat to Real Madrid. Thomas Tuchel's side were overrun in midfield as Los Blancos waltzed back to the Santiago Bernabeu with a 3-1 advantage, with N'Golo Kante hooked at half-time.
Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro schooled Kante and Jorginho as they patrolled Stamford Bridge. Even with the help of Mateo Kovacic off the bench at half-time, the west Londoners struggled to wriggle from the Spanish giants' grasp.
Chelsea's inability to grab the bull by the horns and steer the momentum in their favour quickly proved an issue for Tuchel. Real Madrid enjoyed the majority of possession and were far more authoritative with their passing.
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The stability and structure that Kroos, Modric and Casemiro brought to Carlo Ancelotti's side opened greater avenues of attack for the creative forces in their team. The Spanish side made over five times as many passes into the attacking third and four times as many passes into key areas as Chelsea, UEFA report.
Real Madrid showed Tuchel's midfield how to marshal a game at the highest level, which left Blues fans crying out for Tchouameni's arrival at the end of the season. Chelsea fans took to Twitter to stress the severity of the club's frailties.
However, while many might be keen for prospective Chelsea owners to make Tchouameni the club's maiden signing of a new era, Real Madrid have overtaken the Blues in the race to sign the Monaco midfielder, according to The Daily Telegraph. The Chelsea hierarchy opted against signing the 22-year-old in the summer because they felt as if he could've done with another 12 months of development, say The Athletic.
Tuchel's side have since paid the price for their naivety and reluctance to sign somebody who has been identified as the 'perfect Casemiro replacement'. Having already lost a midfield battle to Real Madrid, Chelsea look to do so again but this time in the boardroom.
The world champions now look as if they have a fair distance to make up before they can rival Los Blancos for the £83m-rated midfielder, despite having once led the race. A blanket of uncertainty has now been thrown over Tuchel's midfield; both Jorginho and Kante see their contracts expire in June 2023 so, by losing out on Tchouameni, Chelsea could have missed a trick.
