When Chelsea signed Timo Werner from Leipzig in2020, it looked like they had pulled off the biggest deal of the summer. The German star was one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, yet the Blues managed to get him for ‘just’ €53 million.
However, things didn’t work out. Werner failed to be the goalscoring machine he was in the Bundesliga, and the club eventually started to look for new options up front. In August 2022, Chelsea sent him back to Leipzig for €20 million.
Werner still enjoyed some memorable moments with the Blues, including the 2022 UEFA Champions League success against Manchester City—whom he’ll face again Wednesday with his current team. Looking back at his time with Chelsea, Werner mentioned multiple factors as reasons behind his failure.
Timo Werner blames Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea board, pandemic for his struggles at Chelsea
“I had a very good first six months at Chelsea, which was what the supporters and club expected of me.I scored the goals and played good games. … Then all this gets a little bit forgotten by the manager, it was not really fair,” Werner told The Sun, in regard to then Chelsea coachThomas Tuchel. “That was also a reason I had to move back to Leipzig, to get the enjoyment again.
“The biggest problem was he put a striker like Lukaku in front of me in the second season after I won the Champions League by nearly playing every game in the first squad. That was the toughest moment for me to get a player, a very good player, in front of me for €120 million. Romelu was a big striker and had to play after costing so much and I didn’t feel honoured enough. Maybe that was also a reason why I had ups and downs.”
Werner also mentioned the managerial change at the club took a toll on him, since Frank Lampard was in charge when he joined Chelsea. He remembers having goals overturned by VAR decisions as well as missing clear sitters made his confidence drop, while the criticism from the media only made life even harder. Additionally, living alone during the lockdown may have also prevented him from performing at his best.
“In the first months, nothing was open, I was always sitting at home, spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve alone, to be always on games, of course that was tough.Maybe with a proper life, friends and family around me it would have been different. It’s easy to point the fingers on those things, it is what it is now,” Werner added.
It’s a shame it didn’t work out, but Werner still has plenty of time to fulfill hispotential. Going back to Germany has already helped him revitalize his career, as he is once again enjoying his game.
