Thomas Tuchel admits initial concerns over Chelsea contract length
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confessed he had to talk himself into accepting the Blues‘ offer of an 18-month contract.
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss was earmarked as a preferred replacement for Frank Lampard, who was sacked after leading Chelsea on a run of four wins in 11 games in all competitions, and he was flown in to take charge in the 0-0 draw with Wolves last time out.
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During negotiations with Tuchel, reports on the length of his contract varied wildly. Some said four-and-a-half years, but those who said 18 months were eventually proven correct, and Tuchel confessed that he was taken aback by the proposal initially.
“I want to be very honest with you, at first it was a concern, I was a little like ‚oh, why 18 months?’” Tuchel confessed (via Goal). “And after one minute I thought ‚what does it change?‘
“What does it change? If they give me four-and-a-half years, they [could] sack me anyway. If they are not happy with me, they will sack me anyway. And if they gave me four-and-a-half years they would put in a clause that when they sack me, they’ll pay me.
“So where can I be sure that I’ll be there for four-and-a-half years? You cannot. That is the truth at this level. What is the role right now of the coaches? Are we in charge of the whole team and the transfers as well, or not, are we totally free in everything we do or not? Are we only responsible for bad results or also good results? What is this role and where do we find ourselves in that?“
Recently, Chelsea have made a habit of offering their managers short-term contract, with Roman Abramovich seemingly growing tired of shelling out enormous compensation fees to part ways with his staff.
While the Russian’s ruthless, trigger-happy approach to managers has left many concerned in the past, Tuchel insisted that he is not focused on the risks of such a perilous position.
„I decided not to worry too much, be brave enough to take on this adventure, because it was absolutely clear that I want to do it and I don’t want to miss the chance,“ the German added.
“It’s also my character to believe more in the chances than the risks. There is absolutely, for me personally, nothing to be afraid of. I’m very grateful to do this job at this level and I don’t want to waste my time thinking about risks.”