boss will assess returning loan stars Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja in this summer before making a decision over their futures in the first team.
The duo have impressed enormously on loan, with Gallagher earning an England call-up thanks to his performances in ’s midfield while Broja has attracted plenty of interest from rival clubs after netting six Premier League goals for Southampton.
There is a clamour from fans to see both players integrated into Chelsea’s squad next season and Tuchel says he will give them the opportunity to earn a place in the first team.
Asked if the pair will come back and be part of his squad for next season, Tuchel replied: ‘First of all they will come back, for sure, because they are our players.
‘When we give them on loan we do this for them but also for us, to have better players, more experienced players back.
‘They are our players and I want to have them in pre-season and in pre-season we will decide what’s going on.
‘It’s heavily linked to them, it’s heavily linked to how they integrate and what they do and what our ideas are for them and what they want to reach.
‘And it’s heavily linked to our sanctions and the situation around the club, so it’s too early to predict the future for them and their role for the whole season, but they will be back in pre-season that’s for sure.’
Chelsea could be reliant on their young loan players returning to the club and contributing to the first team with their transfer plans still on hold until Roman Abramovich has sold the club, though Tuchel hopes the delay will not affect preparations for next season too much.
He continued: ‘You ask many times if we have a delay in approaching players, in making plans, yeah of course – a huge delay. And we are affected by it, by key players going out, so we are rebuilding – we are rebuilding the squad we are not improving the squad.
‘This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge. I don’t know where we are from day one, what I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that! – with full energy and positive energy no matter what.
‘We will still work for Chelsea and I refuse to think about negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on what level we will see, and on how the delay and how the sanction will actually affect us. There is a risk that it affects us, it will be very challenging to make up the disadvantage given the situation of the other two teams, [Manchester] City and Liverpool, who are already improving their squad and have set one benchmark after the another in all aspects of the game in the most difficult league.
‘So things are not easy for us, but normally I would say that we arrive in good spirits and the right mindset on the first day of preparation and then we do what we always do: we create an atmosphere, we create a work ethic and we put all in to be ready for the first matchday of the Premier League to win the game.’
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