A very busy summer lies in wait at Stamford Bridge and Cobham, with Thomas Tuchel's mind on a club rebuild and not simply improving his squad. Antonio Rudiger has departed for Real Madrid, and Andreas Christensen is soon to depart with his contract also to expire, while decisions must be made over a series of players whose deals come to an end in 2023.
Tuchel said ahead of the summer: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge. I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see.
"On how the delay and sanctions will affect us, there is a risk. It will be very challenging to make up for the disadvantage, given the situation of the other two teams: City and Liverpool, who are already improving the squad and set one benchmark after the other in all aspects of the game."
