Chelsea ‘don’t like’ Lukaku’s comments – Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel says Chelsea “don’t like” Romelu Lukaku’s comments about being unhappy at the club – but believes they may have been taken out of context.

The striker, 28, returned for a second spell at Stamford Bridge when he was signed from Inter for £97.5m in August.

He had an ankle injury and more recently tested positive for Covid-19, but feels he should have had a more prominent role this season.

Lukaku made the comments to Sky Sport Italia in an interview recorded several weeks ago – prior to discussions with Blues boss Tuchel – but aired on Thursday.

He has since returned to the starting line-up, scoring in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton.

“I’m not happy with the situation, this is normal,” said Lukaku at the time. “But I am a worker and I must not give up.

“I think the boss has decided to play a different formation but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally.”

In response, Tuchel has insisted that Lukaku seems the “exact opposite” of unhappy and that the Belgian’s remarks could easily be misunderstood.

Tuchel said: “We don’t like it of course. It brings noise that we don’t need.

“But we don’t want to make more out of it than it actually is. It’s very easy to take lines out of context, to shorten lines and make headlines and then later realise that it’s not so bad and maybe not what he meant.

“Let’s be honest also; we don’t like it and I don’t like it. It’s noise that we don’t need.

“We need a calm environment and focus – and this does not help.”

Tuchel added that the club will speak to Lukaku, who has scored in his past two outings for the Blues.

The German said: “We can try to take the time to try to understand what’s going on, because it (Lukaku’s interview) does not reflect the daily work and the attitude Romelu shows.”