Andreas Christensen forced Thomas Tuchel to reconsider in the last minute, withdrawing from the Chelsea team in the morning of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Liverpool.
Telegraph Sport understands that Christensen, who will join Barcelona with a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer, was on the starting line, but told the head coach that he was not ready to play.
Christensen did not report an injury, although sources close to the player say he felt unwell during the week and did not expect to be named in the starting lineup. They added that he would never want to miss a Cup final unless it was for a real reason.
The withdrawal not only meant that Tuhel had to make a late change in his starting lineup, but Thiago Silva had to play with an injury and Timo Werner had to take a place on the bench, although he suffered a knee injury in the warm-up.
Christensen had played in the mid-week victory over Leeds United, in which Mateo Kovacic was lucky enough to avoid a serious injury after being fouled by Dan James. Kovacic and N’Golo Kante, who replaced the Croatian as a reserve, played in the final, although they were not fully prepared.
Silva was injured and needed treatment at the beginning of the first half after Trevoh Chalobah cleared the ball from the line and accidentally kicked his teammate. But the 37-year-old played all 90 minutes and overtime before limping out of Wembley after a penalty shootout.
Tuhel pointed to Malang Sar on the bench, along with captain Cesar Aspilicueta, but none of them can play in the center of the defensive trio like Christensen.
It remains to be seen whether Christensen has played his last game for Chelsea in the remaining two Premier League games after Tuhel confirmed he will leave the club, along with Antonio Rudiger, who is joining Real Madrid.
Christensen has already upset Chelsea, twice giving the club the impression that he will sign a new contract, only to postpone and eventually refuse before agreeing to join Barcelona.
The 26-year-old has been with Chelsea since joining the club as a 15-year-old in 2012, but his retirement from the FA Cup final and the nature of his departure may leave some fans with a sour taste.
Tuhel confirmed Christensen’s departure, while ruling out Chelsea’s ability to build a team that could coincide with Liverpool’s during the summer transfer window.
“Maybe it’s impossible, I have to say, maybe it’s impossible,” Tuhel said.
“They improve their lineup through every transfer window. We seem to be losing key players. So it’s difficult and we already have a gap to fill. “
Tuchel is meeting with Boehly, but transfer targets have not yet been discussed
Tuhel met with new frontman Todd Boelli last week, but intends to discuss Chelsea’s summer plans and transfer targets in the next round of talks with the American.
“We had lunch together, but he was in the room where everyone was, both players and staff,” Tuhel said. “He was very friendly, very open and it was a very informal meeting during lunch.
“It was like half an hour, 40 minutes, so it wasn’t very detailed. Just to feel and say hello, but in fact we talked more about baseball and basketball. It was not the time, we will do it next week, next week. “
However, Tuchel is convinced that after agreeing to pay 4.25 billion pounds for Chelsea, Boelli will meet his ambitions. The German added: “He paid money for it, so I don’t think he wants to give up his ambition. That would be a big surprise, so no, I have no doubt about that. We will share our views in more detail in the coming weeks and I am sure he is just as ambitious to build a competitive Chelsea at the highest level. “
One of Boehly’s first moves will likely be to try to extend the contract of Mason Mount, who has two more years left on the deal. The midfielder saved his penalty, which proved crucial for Liverpool’s penalty shootout success.
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