Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was reportedly eager to avoid the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United this summer.
The Portugal international had been an option for the Blues, but it seems Tuchel was dead against the idea, and this led to tension between the German tactician and the club’s owner Todd Boehly.
Much of this is coming out now after Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea yesterday, with Christian Falk confirming talk that Tuchel pushed hard not to sign Ronaldo because he felt the 37-year-old would ruin the spirit in his dressing room.
See below for the tweet in full from Bild reporter Falk…
TRUE? the fact that Thomas Tuchel resisted buying @Cristiano Ronaldo was one reason for the bad relationship with Todd Boehly. Boehly wanted Ronaldo. Tuchel said: „He will distroy the Spirit in my dressing room“ @BILD_Sport
— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) September 7, 2022
Fabrizio Romano has said similar, with Tuchel clearly at odds with Boehly on a number of issues, as he revealed in his exclusive CaughtOffside column that this surprise sacking was probably the right decision due to the worsening atmosphere behind the scenes at the club.
Ronaldo has been one of the greatest footballers in the world for much of the last decade or more, but he doesn’t always seem like the easiest character to work with, so it perhaps makes sense that Tuchel felt this would be the wrong signing for him.
At the same time, it’s also quite a strong claim by the 49-year-old, who perhaps showed his weaknesses as a coach if he felt he couldn’t manage a talent and ego like Ronaldo.
Tuchel is right.