LONDON: Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel expects club-record signing Romelu Lukaku to have a “huge impact” at Stamford Bridge but played down suggestions his side are now favorites to win the Premier League title.
Lukaku rejoined the Blues on Thursday costing a reported fee of £97 million ($135 million) from Inter Milan.
The Belgian will not be available for Saturday’s league opener against Crystal Palace, but Tuchel believes the 28-year-old fulfils all the characteristics he was looking for to strengthen his forward line.
“We’re happy to have Romelu back in the club. We think in terms of personality, speed, power, he can be hopefully an excellent choice for us,” said Tuchel on Friday.
“He has the power, the physique to help us, he has the experience, the personality to have a huge impact. He is at the same time a humble guy, and a true team player and he cares about Chelsea.
“We had the feeling that it’s worth to try and fight hard and we are happy he is our player now.”
Chelsea were rejuvenated once Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard in January, moving up from ninth in the table to secure a play in the top four and winning the Champions League in May by beating Premier League champions Manchester City in the final.
However, Tuchel said City and Manchester United, both of who have also spent over £100 million in the transfer market, should be considered favorites for the title.
“When you come fourth, you are not the favorites in the next season, we have some gaps to close.
“We let Liverpool pass us in the last match and we have a big gap to close to Manchester United and Manchester City. When I see the transfer market and the activity from City and United, I don’t see why they should be any worse than last season. They improved their squads, they are stable and very strong teams.
“I think we are hungry and challengers for the top four first of all and then after that we will always be hungry to challenge everybody for the best possible outcome.”
The headline-grabbing return of Lukaku has cast further doubt over Tammy Abraham’s future at Stamford Bridge.
Abraham has been linked with a move to a host of club with Jose Mourinho’s Roma leading the chase for the England striker.
“The next days after that we will see what happens, what is Tammy’s wish and what are the possibilities,” added Tuchel. “But right now the focus is for Saturday and there is no news for his situation.”
Tuchel expects ‘big impact’ from Lukaku in second chance at Chelsea
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Tuchel expects ‘big impact’ from Lukaku in second chance at Chelsea
- Lukaku rejoined the Blues on Thursday costing a reported fee of $135 million
- Tuchel believes the 28-year-old fulfils all the characteristics he was looking for to strengthen his forward line
Russell, Antonelli lead Mercedes in one-two qualifying positions for F1’s Australian GP
- Russell topped all three sessions in F1’s knockout qualifying format, finally casting aside questions of where Mercedes team was in the new-era pecking order
MELBOURNE: Mercedes has revealed its dominant hand during qualifying for Sunday’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
George Russell earned his ninth-career pole position Saturday ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli for the team’s 83rd front-row lockout and its first since the 2024 British Grand Prix.
Russell topped all three sessions in F1’s knockout qualifying format, finally casting aside questions of where Mercedes team was in the new-era pecking order. His pole time, at 1 minute, 18.518 seconds, was almost eight-tenths faster than the nearest non-Mercedes challenger, Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar, who completed the top three.
“It was a great day, we knew there was a lot of potential in the car, but until we get to this first Saturday of the season, you never know,” Russell said. “But it really came alive this afternoon, especially when the track temperatures cooled, we know we tend to favor those conditions.”
Antonelli was relieved to have made it onto the front row alongside his teammate after a crash in final practice at the exit of turn two meant it was a race in the Mercedes garage to get him out for qualifying.
“It’s been a very stressful day. Unfortunately, I went into the wall (in FP3),” he said. “But the guys (in the garage) were the heroes today to put the car back on track.”
Hadjar was impressive by qualifying third on debut for Red Bull, his highest-ever grid position.
“The only thing I can do is take them at the start, but they’re just too fast at the moment,” Hadjar said of Mercedes. “I want to keep my position and a second podium would be cool.”
Ferrari showed it’s neck-and-neck with McLaren on pace, with just one and a half tenths seconds covering the four drivers just beyond the top-three — with Charles Leclerc qualifying fourth, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in fifth and sixth respectively, and Lewis Hamilton in seventh.
Racing Bulls showed they’ve taken a step forward over the winter, with New Zealander Liam Lawson eighth ahead of his highly-rated rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad.
The big surprise of the session came from four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, who triggered red flags at Melbourne’s Albert Park after he lost control of his Red Bull car in braking for turn one in the first half of Q1 and ended in the barriers.
The Dutchman, who was unhurt from the crash, though upset that his brakes locked up, will now start from the back of the grid.
F1 heads into a new era this year, with unprecedented changes across the chassis (car) and power unit, which now feature an almost 50:50 output split between the turbo 1.6-liter V6 engine and electrical energy harvested from the brakes, one that requires a new, often counterintuitive driving style from the drivers.
