Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was reportedly eager to avoid the transfer of legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United this summer.
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who was unceremoniously sacked on Wednesday, was reportedly eager to avoid the transfer of legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United during the summer window. The Portuguese icon, keen to leave Old Trafford for Champions League glory, was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. However, the deal did not come through reportedly because the German boss was dead against the idea of signing the 37-year-old legend.
Tuchel was sacked just three months after Todd Boehly-led consortium formally took over as Chelsea's owner. Although the Blues suffered a loss on Tuesday night in the German's 100th match in charge, reports stated the Champions League group-stages defeat did not have much to do with the sacking. Instead, the German's resistance to the idea of signing Ronaldo reportedly sparked tensions with the American owner.
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After Tuchel was fired by Chelsea yesterday, much of this is now coming to light. SPORTBILD's Christian Falk has confirmed rumours that Tuchel fought hard against signing Ronaldo because he believed the 37-year-old would destroy the atmosphere in his locker room.
"TRUE, the fact that Thomas Tuchel resisted buying @Cristiano Ronaldo was one reason for the bad relationship with Todd Boehly. Boehly wanted Ronaldo. Tuchel said: "He will destroy the Spirit in my dressing room," noted Falk in a tweet. Meanwhile, Falk also revealed that Todd Boehly fired Thomas Tuchel with the words: "We want to make a new start," which is said to have left the German tactician surprised and shocked.
Similar remarks have been made by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that Tuchel's surprise dismissal was likely the right choice given the deteriorating environment behind the scenes at the club and the fact that the German and Boehly are clearly at odds on several issues.
Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in football and has dominated the sport for over a decade. However, the Portugal talisman's attitude and personality have forced clubs to see him as a tough character to work alongside. Hence, experts believe that perhaps it makes sense that Tuchel was not in favour of signing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to lead Chelsea's attack line. At the same time, the claim is also strong on the part of the 49-year-old, who perhaps exposed his weakness as a coach if he felt managing a stalwart like Cristiano Ronaldo would be difficult.