Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Timo Werner demands ‘I should play more’ as Tuchel relationship questioned in fresh Chelsea exit hint

Timo Werner, Germany v Italy June 2022

Timo Werner has made it clear that he wants more game time in a fresh hint about his Chelsea future ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.

The 26-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge instead of Liverpool in the summer of 2020. He has enjoyed brief spells of the top form he showed at RB Leipzig but has been unable to maintain them consistently.

And competition for places has made it harder for Werner to settle at Chelsea.

The Germany international has had links with a move back to Germany in recent transfer windows. He decided to stay put on those occasions, but this summer could be different ahead of the World Cup.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, he insisted that “the most important thing is that I am happy” and that he could be “happy everywhere” if he was finding the net regularly alongside consistent minutes.

However, he added that “it is clear I want to play more and I should play more” ahead of Qatar.

“I think it doesn’t change anything whether it is a winter World Cup or in the summer,” Werner said. “I think if I play half or the season or the whole season, I should play.”

The newspaper adds that Werner has yet to speak to Blues boss Thomas Tuchel about his future.

Although, reports earlier in the transfer window claimed Chelsea offered the German as part of a failed players-plus-cash deal for Juventus’ Bayern Munich-bound defender Matthijs de Ligt.

Timo Werner sensing little Chelsea change

Werner added that despite Raheem Sterling’s move to Chelsea from Manchester City, his struggles for game time remain the same – not worsened.

“It’s not different to last season,” the striker said. “I think it was the same when Romelu [Lukaku] came here that we have big, big competition up front.

“It is still the same. At a big club like Chelsea you have that competition. In pre-season you can show that you want to play and that you are a guy who wants to be in the starting eleven. That’s what I try.”

Werner admitted that he “didn’t ask” Tuchel why he struggled for game time last season.

He added: “I think in many games I was not in his thoughts so I try to change that.”

Story remains the same for Blues star

Werner has faced competition for minutes throughout his Chelsea career and that is not going to change any time soon.

With the Daily Mirror claiming that Tuchel wants a new striker, Werner has a decision to make.

His first season saw him competing with fellow new arrivals Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz for game time. Tuchel also had Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud to use.

Last term, Giroud and Abraham moved on, with Lukaku battling Havertz for the role up top. That led Werner to feature in only 21 Premier League games.

It remains unclear how Lukaku’s move back to Inter and Sterling’s move to Chelsea will affect Werner.

However, he could well decide to move on before the end of the transfer window if he feels his World Cup preparations will be affected.