It was mere minutes after Chelsea's 2021/22 campaign had wrapped with a home victory over Watford that Thomas Tuchel's attention turned to what came next: the summer transfer window.
"We have to be fast and smart," the Chelsea head coach said in the press room at Stamford Bridge. "The two top clubs [Man City and Liverpool] improve their teams – and they already have teams that are very clear on which to build. A rebuild is necessary for us, and that makes it more challenging, of course.
"We have clear ideas for the profiles and characteristics of these players. But it's not like we put a name on the list, and then we get the player. We have to convince the player, speak to their clubs, and convince ourselves this is the player [we need]. So there is normally a lot of work, and it will be the same to be competitive next season while everyone else tries to close the gap to us."
