Thomas Tuchel avoids Chelsea Romelu Lukaku repeat with Timo Werner stance amid transfer talk

Thomas Tuchel appears to be avoiding a repeat of the Romelu Lukaku controversy that plagued the start of 2022 and saw the striker miss Chelsea's clash with Liverpool in the aftermath of Timo Werner's interview on international duty. The German forward noted that the national team's style of football suited him better than the tactics Chelsea employ.

The words may be reminiscent of Lukaku lamenting Tuchel's tactics in his explosive interview that was released over the festive period. On that occasion, the Blues boss left the Belgian out of his squad against Liverpool to avoid the noise that had been created.

Werner's struggle to replicate his goalscoring exploits he was renowned for at RB Leipzig are not dissimilar to Lukaku's own struggles, but the forward has endeared himself to supporters with his effort and work rate. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old has had his frustrations in the last 18 months. He's only made eight Premier League starts this season and scored seven goals across 28 appearances in all competitions.

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"I'm a striker and always want to score. Things aren't going the way I'd like at Chelsea, so it's all the better that things are going well here under Hansi Flick," Werner said.

"I really enjoy playing football, no matter where I'm playing. There are differences in the style of play between football at Chelsea and here. Maybe the one at the national team suits me better. Here, I always have scoring chances, and I can score goals. I feel very comfortable here."

While with Lukaku, the issue was with what he said, in Werner's case, what he didn't say may have been more telling. Does being very comfortable with