Thomas Tuchel has hinted at keeping Ruben Loftus-Cheek at Chelsea this season. The German manager wants to see the midfielder give 150% all the time, as he believes 100% is not enough.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was sent out on loan last season but did not enjoy a great season at Fulham. The Cottagers were relegated and the Chelsea midfielder never got to show his true potential for various reasons.
Loftus-Cheek is now back at Chelsea and has a big decision pending on his future. The Englishman is keen to work under Tuchel and the manager is ready to give him a chance. Speaking to Chelsea’s official website, the German said:
“I’m generally happy with him and that why he’s been playing. He deserves to play at this point of the preparation but I believe he can do even more. He can show up more, he can show more physical capability, he can drive more with the ball. I’m never satisfied with him.”
“I have the feeling that we need to push him to the absolute limit but it’s too early to judge Ruben. He has everything in his hands so it’s on him to decide his own future, like it is for every player. He has to keep on going 150 per cent because 100 per cent is not enough.”
Does Thomas Tuchel need another midfielder at Chelsea?
Chelsea have N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic fighting for the two holding midfield roles right now. Mason Mount is a guaranteed starter at the club, so the attacking midfield position is all but occupied. The Englishman is bound to start even if the manager switches to three players at the center of the park.
However, Thomas Tuchel wants to keep one more midfielder at the club and send out the rest on loan. He said:
“There is one space minimum there because Billy (Gilmour) left us, which is good for his personal development because he was fighting with N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in midfield. He was fighting in one of the best midfields in the world and he was very helpful last season but now he goes on loan for minutes because this is how to improve.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ross Barkley, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater are fighting for the position right now. Chelsea have also been rumored to be considering moves for Aurélien Tchouaméni and Declan Rice.