Thomas Tuchel keen to remain at Chelsea for the long-term
Thomas Tuchel has said he does not live in fear of being sacked and is targeting a long-term stay as Chelsea’s manager.
Tuchel, who faces the Premier League’s longest-serving manager when Sean Dyche’s Burnley visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday, has made a stunning impact since joining Chelsea in January and he is not worried about the club’s ruthless mentality. The German is settled at the European champions and believes he is capable of emulating Dyche, who has managed Burnley since 2012.
“I will try to,” Tuchel said. “But listen, I had one year in the academy and five years in Mainz – my longest spell so far in professional football. Then I had the strong feeling in the last year that my energy was not on the highest level any more.
“Quality and results are the most important, otherwise we have no chance to stay. If you have that and if you feel happy and if the club and manager build a trust, like there is at Liverpool,
Manchester City and of course at Burnley, it can be a successful story.
“It can be the other way around – that you change a lot of managers and you are also successful. The proof is maybe this club here. No hard feelings for both approaches. I will do my very best to stay as long as possible because I like where I am. It is a perfect fit.”
Chelsea are top before facing Burnley but Tuchel is taking nothing for granted after seeing Steve Bruce and
Nuno Espírito Santo lose their jobs at Newcastle and Tottenham respectively.
“It’s so important not to have the wrong belief that things take care of themselves,” Tuchel said. “They do not. That’s why we try to take care of details. But I am personally not living in fear and constantly reminding myself: ‘You can be sacked.’ I drive a car to the training ground. I know it’s super-dangerous to be in a car because every day there are accidents, but I don’t think about it.
“I drive carefully, but I trust my skills. I feel confident in the car. I know where my limits are and I don’t gamble on my limits. I try not to overstretch the limits. We are aware of the situation but it doesn’t hold us back. It’s a gift, and I’m really living my dream, actually. Hopefully it will last some more years, weeks, months, whatever.”
Chelsea, who have given the defender Trevoh Chalobah a new fourand-a-half-year deal, could welcome back Mason Mount after surgery on a wisdom tooth. However Tuchel warned that the midfielder could require further treatment, potentially forcing him to withdraw from the England squad.