Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was not a happy man on Sunday morning after his side lost their pre-season match with Arsenal FC.
The German watched his side lose 4-0 to London rivals Arsenal in their pre-season friendly in Orlando, with the Gunners dominating the encounter from start to finish.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Albert Sambi Lokonga handed Mikel Arteta’s men the victory and Tuchel voiced his frustrations with the west Londoners’ display after the full-time whistle.
“I can not guarantee”, he said asking if the Blues will be ready for their Premier League opener against Everton in less than two weeks’ time.
“I saw today (Sunday) a team in Arsenal who are mentally committed to an idea of playing, a level of exhaustion, a level of physical commitment that we could not match.
“Also, a level of mental commitment that we lacked because we have a lot of players who are thinking about leaving and looking at their options. We have players that have left and I think at the moment that’s obvious.”
It was unclear which players Tuchel was referring to when he mentioned potential members of the squad leaving, with the former Borussia Dortmund boss starting a reasonably strong XI. One member of Chelsea’s starting line-up that could be heading out the door is attacker Timo Werner.
The Blues are open to selling Werner this summer, but his wage demands mean it could be difficult. London understands and the player has made it no secret of his desire to consistently start matches ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Another member of Tuchel’s starting XI who could be out the door before the transfer window shuts is fullback Emerson Palmieri.
England international Ben Chilwell is likely to be Chelsea’s starting left-back next term and Emerson, who spent last season on loan with Lyon, has been heavily linked with a return to Serie A.
Former Blues boss Maurizio Sarri, who is Lazio’s current head coach, is said to be an admirer of the Italian, with Il Messaggero, via Tribalfootball, claiming that Lazio president Claudio Lotito is also keen to bring Emerson to the Stadio Olimpico in the coming weeks.