Tuchel Questions Relevance Of Lukaku Interview
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed his disapproval of a recent interview in which Romelu Lukaku expressed a desire to return to Inter Milan in future.
Lukaku also expressed his unhappiness at Chelsea in the same interview with Sky Sport Italia which was conducted in early December but aired this week.
The 28-year-old joined Chelsea from Inter Milan for £97m at the start of this season and has scored seven goals in 18 games amid struggles with injury and a positive coronavirus infection.
"We don't like it, of course. It brings noise that we don't need and it's not helpful," Tuchel told a media conference.
"We don't want to make more out of it than it actually is. It is easy to take lines out of context, shorten lines, make headlines and then realise later that it is not so bad.
"Like I said, this is what you read into it. It is very easy, in general, to take lines out of context and make headlines to get the focus. I totally understand the process and that is why it is a lot of noise, not a little noise.
"But still, we are not here to read the headlines. We can take the time to try and understand what is going on because it does not reflect the daily work, attitude and behaviour which Romelu shows here at Cobham."
Asked if Lukaku should have kept his grievances behind closed doors, Tuchel replied: "If you are such a big player like Romelu, it is always in the public.
"He should know what kind of value he has when he speaks out with messages like this. Everything is easier when we win.
"The dressing room might not always be in harmony. Sometimes it is good to be on the edge, in disharmony.
"With Romelu, I don't think that anybody in this building is unaware that he is unhappy. I can see no reason why he should be like this. That's all I can say."
