The Blues manager admitted that he bears responsibility for not giving Tammy Abraham enough chances over the first six months of his tenure at Stamford Bridge. The striker is on the verge of an exit as Roma are reportedly ready to pay 34m for Chelsea academy product.
“He was clearly not happy with the last half a year and maybe he has reason also not to be happy and maybe it was also my fault not to push him, not to trust him on the same level I maybe trusted other players,”
“I can absolutely understand that he wants more minutes. So the decision will be ‘how do we plan, what are Tammy’s plans, does he fight his way back into the team from the position where he ended last season, or does he want to change club to have the chance of being a regular starter?’”
the German said.
While Abraham is in Chelsea’s squad for today’s UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal, whether he starts or even makes the bench remains a doubt. Most notably, the 23-year-old was left out of the squad by Tuchel for the Champions League final in May, in which Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1-0.
Abraham has scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 32 appearances across all competitions last season.
Earlier, AS Roma have agreed a fee with Chelsea regarding the transfer of Abraham, as they prepare to replace Edin Dzeko, who is expected to sign for Inter Milan.
The Serie A side is prepared to pay 34 million pounds for the forward and have agreed to include a buyback clause in the deal.
The Athletic reports that Roma’s general manager, Tiago Pinto, is due to travel to London in the next two days to convince the player to join Jose Mourinho’s.
