Thomas Tuchel hits out at Romelu Lukaku’s agent for distracting Chelsea ahead of FA Cup final
Posted by  badge Boss on May 14, 2022 - 03:36AM
Romelu Lukaku has been unhappy since moving to Chelsea last summer (Picture: Getty)

says he hopes the posturing from ’s agent does not sidetrack his Chelsea team ahead of the final.

On Saturday, the Blues face Liverpool at Wembley and are looking for revenge after losing the League Cup final to the Reds in February.

However, their preparations for the occasion have been blighted by Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello who, on Friday, revealed he will be seeking talks with ’s potential new owner Todd Boehly to discuss his client’s future at the club.

Since making a £97million move from Inter Milan last summer, Lukaku has failed to settle at Stamford Bridge, scoring just seven leagues goals this season.

Tuchel, who is preparing for his second FA Cup final in a row, has questioned the timing of Pastorello’s disclosure.

He said: ‘If he plans to talk with the owner then maybe it’s not his plan to talk with me. If he gets a meeting, maybe he can talk.

Thomas Tuchel believes Lukaku’s agent should not be making comments on the eve of a final (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s his right and we will talk to anybody and evaluate the situation of any player including Romelu.

‘I was only aware of it five minutes ago. That’s what it is. Sometimes in football the tension is so high it attracts situations that you don’t want to have before big matches.

‘For me it’s not a distraction and hopefully it’s not for everyone who works with the team.’

Pastorello’s comments have come at a bad time for Lukaku with the Belgian having made a strong claim to start in Saturday’s final after scoring three goals in Chelsea’s last two Premier League games.

For much of this season, the 28-year-old has been sitting on the bench, with Tuchel favouring Kai Havertz ahead of him in the centre-forward role.

Chelsea are reportedly keen to sell Lukaku in the summer but finding him a destination will not be easy as the fee and his high wages will likely deter clubs from tabling an offer.

In December, the Belgian expressed a desire to return to Italy but with many Serie A clubs strapped for cash, a move back there seems unlikely.

A continuation of his good form may convince Tuchel to stick by Lukaku as more pressing concerns are set to arise in defence with the impending departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christiansen.

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