Chelsea forward Timo Werner does not feel trusted by manager Thomas Tuchel, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
The 26-year-old missed his side’s first Premier League game of the season, a 1-0 win away at Everton, and Phillips thinks his relationship with Tuchel is “on the verge” of breaking down.
What is the latest news involving Werner?
Werner is being linked with a move back to RB Leipzig, with BBC Sport recently reporting that the Bundesliga club and Chelsea have held talks over a transfer.
And early on Sunday afternoon, Fabrizio Romano reported that the forward will join his former club on a permanent deal, not a loan.
The German, who joined Chelsea from Leipzig in a £45m deal two years ago, recently hinted that he could leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
“I could be happy everywhere,” Werner was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail last month when asked if he could find happiness in west London.
His comments did not go down well with Tuchel, who has told his countryman to take his opportunities and show his quality in response.
What has Phillips said about Werner and Tuchel?
Phillips does not think Werner is enjoying the best relationship with Tuchel right now.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “Timo wants to play. Timo doesn’t feel trusted by Tuchel at the moment and there are certain things that Tuchel does that I don’t think the players are too appreciative of. I guess you can call it vocal expressions.
“There was a fall out last season with [Marcos] Alonso, who didn’t take too kindly to Tuchel shouting at him when he was on the pitch, and I think a few of the players that Chelsea have have an issue with that – maybe Timo is one of them. Maybe that is a situation that he doesn’t like too much and the relationship with Tuchel, I think, might be on the verge of breaking down, in my opinion.”
How did Chelsea fare against Everton without Werner?
While Chelsea were only able to beat Everton by a single goal, courtesy of a Jorginho penalty, Tuchel would have been satisfied with his team’s performance.
A new-look back three of Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta was excellent as the Blues went on to earn a clean sheet, while Raheem Sterling showed promising signs in attack despite not being able to grab that debut goal.
As per WhoScored, no player managed to complete more dribbles than the England international (three), while only Reece James played more key passes.
Simply put, they did not miss Werner, who now looks to have lost his place in the team following Sterling’s arrival. Therefore, a return to Leipzig could be good for him, especially with the World Cup approaching.
