Thomas Tuchel ‘never afraid of change’ as Abramovich’s Chelsea era nears end

Thomas Tuchel has insisted he is not afraid of change as he reflected on Roman Abramovich’s decision to sell up after 19 years at Chelsea and also on the impact of the turmoil on his players.

Abramovich confirmed his intention a little over an hour before Chelsea kicked off at Luton in the FA Cup fifth round – a tie they would come back from behind to win 3-2 – acting after another call in parliament for him to face sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

He said all net proceeds from the sale would be channelled into a charitable fund to benefit victims of the war in Ukraine and that he would not call in the £1.5bn of loans he has put into Chelsea. There is interest in a buy-out from a consortium fronted by the billionaires Hansjörg Wyss and Todd Boehly.

“I’m not so much worried,” Tuchel said. “I hope and trust for the best. It’s big news, it will be a big change but I’m never afraid of change. I will focus on what I can influence, which is the team and my work.

“We try to cancel the noise and stay focused, which is not always easy. We are not living on an island, the players have internet. Some are more concerned. To play on the same day a match where focus is absolutely key is not so easy. It makes the win a bigger performance.

“We focused in our preparation only on sports but maybe some players are more affected than others. In the end we managed to focus more and grow into the game before finding the key to win it.

“I don’t think I need to talk about it to the players. I’m not the CEO. I’m not a member of the board and I’m very sure the club will speak to us and the players. I’m pretty sure some member of the board will talk to us to clarify the situation.”

Tuchel said that the last time he had spoken to Abramovich was on the pitch in Abu Dhabi after the team had won the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras on 12 February.

“It’s a bit too early for me to speak,” Tuchel said. “It’s big news but I can only think about Chelsea with Roman Abramovich. It’s very hard for me. It did not sink in yet. This is a massive change.”