Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Thomas Tuchel betrays Chelsea by poaching ‘quality’ Blues figure as raid on former club begins

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has successfully poached reputed coach Anthony Barry from Chelsea, as continues to get the band back together at Bayern Munich.

The ex-Blues manager worked closely with the 36-year-old during his successful, albeit brief at the London club, so it’s no surprise to see him add him to his backroom staff once again.

Temporary Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will be frustrated to lose Barry, however, it seems he has completed the switch to the Allianz Stadium.

The news was confirmed by Tuchel on Friday, with the German coach expressing his excitement at bringing the ‘quality’ coach to Bayern.

“[Barry] has joined us — I’m very happy. We really wanted to have him with us,” Tuchel said.

“He has a great quality, whether it is details or set-piece situations. I’ve not seen such a level before”.

Barry initially joined Chelsea as part of Lampard’s staff during his first spell at the club, and has remained an integral member of the team since.

Alongside Tuchel, the former Accrington Stanley player helped the Blues to win the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

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Tuchel poised to continue Chelsea raid

If losing Barry to Bayern wasn’t bad enough for Chelsea, Tuchel is also rumoured to be targeting some of his former players.

For instance, Mason Mount, who is expected to depart Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, has previously been linked with a move to Bayern.

The England international has so far refused to pen a contract extension with the Blues and with his current deal set to expire in June 2024, he is likely to be sold this summer.

Liverpool are thought to be firmly in the race for his signature, but given Mount’s previous relationship with Tuchel, he could potentially be convinced to make the switch to Germany.

Another big Chelsea name who has been linked with Bayern is Kai Havertz.

Indeed, the German international has been fairly open about the fact he would be open to a reunion with Tuchel.

“Bayern are generally a huge club that it’s hard to say no to as a German player, but my personal goal has always been to play abroad at some point. In England or Spain,” Havertz told BILD in March.

“I had a very good relationship with [Tuchel] and am very grateful for everything.

“You never know what will happen in football. Everything can happen very quickly. Never say never.”

With that in mind, Barry may not be the only key Chelsea figure that Tuchel lures to Bayern and as a result, Todd Boehly could live to regret sacking the German in more ways than one.

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