Timo Werner, a former Chelsea striker, has acknowledged that the style of Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, did not help him perform at his peak while he was at Stamford Bridge.
Just two years after joining Chelsea, the German left with a meagre 23 goals in 89 outings for the Blues before returning to RB Leipzig. Werner said he will always have happy memories of Chelsea, but recognised that his time in London did not go as planned.
He said: “For me, having fun playing football is the most important thing. Of course I was very successful at Chelsea, but in the end I lost a bit of the fun because I didn’t play regularly anymore. I think the coach’s game system didn’t suit me perfectly. So it was clear to me that I wanted to take a new step. I’m at an age where I want to play as much as I can.
“I really associate Chelsea with great successes – the greatest of my career. It will always be a special club for me. I will also stay in contact with many players from the team.”
Werner was played as a left winger under Tuchel, usually playing behind Romelu Lukaku or Kai Havertz. He had an exceptional creative side (he finished with 21 assists), but was unable to match the number of goals he scored in Leipzig.
