Thomas Tuchel had little interest in discussing potential signings in the aftermath of Chelsea's disappointing defeat to Southampton. "Do we need players from outside? We can play better with the guys who are here," the German stated. "And the biggest concern at the moment is how many players we are missing from our squad. That’s where the focus is."
Tuchel had a point. Absent from the starting XI for Chelsea at St Mary's were Reece James due to illness, Trevoh Chalobah and N'Golo Kante due to injury, and the suspended Conor Gallagher. Mateo Kovacic was also only fit enough for the substitutes' bench as he continues to be eased back following a knee injury.
Throw in Ruben Loftus-Cheek picking up a hamstring problem in the opening period of the 2-1 defeat and Chelsea's midfield, in particular, looks rather threadbare. But that still doesn't excuse the performance produced by the Blues, nor the lack of reaction shown after Southampton went ahead just before half time.
READ MORE Every word Thomas Tuchel said on Chelsea defeat, late signings, injuries, squad mentality, more
"Toughen up as a team and show a different mentality – it's my assessment today," Tuchel explained in his post-match press conference. "I don't like to talk about it normally because you can't prove it with data, the body positioning, tactical position in the field or whatever.
"But it's like this. Both goals are cheap goals, soft goals, and should not happen if we expect to win a Premier League match in the evening away from home. We need to be tougher than that."
The defeat leaves Chelsea sitting eighth in the early Premier League table. The Blues have won just two of their opening five fixtures and have only scored six goals – it's a tally equal to Leicester City, who are currently bottom. So introspection is required on the part of Tuchel and solutions must be found.
And with the transfer window still open until 11pm tomorrow evening (September 1), the temptation will naturally be to bring in a quick fix and potential cure-all solution. Whether such a thing truly exists in football is up for debate but a player pitched to Chelsea all summer has been Cristiano Ronaldo, the ultimate top-level goalscorer.
The Portuguese has netted almost 700 club goals during his career – 141 of which have come in the Champions League. He is the competition's all-time leading scorer and his motivation to compete at the highest level of the European game remains undiminished. It's why he wants to leave Manchester United before the window closes.
Ronaldo was pitched to Chelsea as a potential signing earlier this summer following a meeting between his agent, Jorge Mendes, and new Blues' co-owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly. A switch to Stamford Bridge was one the 37-year-old was willing to make and the prospect of completing a deal for Ronaldo was understandably enticing for Boehly.
Yet Tuchel's sign-off was needed. football.london understands that didn't come. Aside from the obvious tactical ramifications, it's believed the Chelsea head coach was wary of altering the dressing-room dynamic and that Ronaldo's performances would inevitably become the big story week in, week out.
Tuchel has stayed true to that stance – and he must continue to do so in the final hours of the window. Ronaldo would score goals were he to move to Stamford Bridge, there is very little doubt of that. And that may turn a few potential draws into victories and boost the club's social media presence exponentially.
But the drawbacks of Ronaldo – many of which have surfaced during his year at Manchester United – would remain and almost certainly create headaches for Tuchel as the campaign progresses. His signing would simply paper over cracks that would open up again with time.
Chelsea will bring in players before the deadline passes; the argument for doing so was only strengthened by the Southampton defeat. The important thing, however, is that Boehly and Tuchel don't do anything rash and that any new addition benefits the squad both this season and beyond. And that means leaving Ronaldo and his goals at United.
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