Thomas Tuchel believes Ruben Loftus-Cheek can decide his own future at Chelsea
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that the future of Ruben Loftus-Cheek at the club is wholly dependent on the player.
The 25-year-old came through the Chelsea system, making his first-team bow in 2014. He has since made 82 appearances for the Blues, scoring 12 goals and assisting 11 more. Loftus-Cheek was a promising talent who looked to be on the cusp of breaking out under Maurizio Sarri. Unfortunately, an Achilles injury derailed his development, sidelining him for more than a year.
He spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham, making 32 appearances and scoring one goal. He stood out as one of the brighter performers in a season that saw the Cottagers relegated.
Now back at Chelsea, a decision has to be made on his future. At 25, Loftus-Cheek is not young anymore and should be plating regularly. The prospect of that happening at the Bridge is unlikely given the riches at Tuchel’s disposal.
While a move away has been mooted, Tuchel believes the player could yet write his own destiny. He believes it is too early to judge the Englishman and has hinted that he has the talents needed at his disposal.
“He has everything in his hands. He can decide his own future.”
The player, for his part, is keen to stay put and has vowed to hit the ground running this pre-season. He started our pre-season game against Arsenal and put up a promising show. Loftus-Cheek made a number of his trademark driving runs and showed much intent and athleticism. While he did make a few errors, it was largely outweighed by his positive attributes on the night.
He now has enough in his talk to begin walking and hopefully running as far as progress at Chelsea is concerned. Whether a few more such performances will help Tuchel make up his mind remains to be seen.
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With both Billy Gilmour and Conor Gallagher out on loan, Chelsea could be shorthanded in midfield if they do not bring in reinforcements. Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have all had injury setbacks in the recent past and it is better to be safe than sorry over the course of a season.
A homegrown player who offers excellent versatility, Loftus-Cheek could have a role to play given that we will be competing on four fronts.
