The man hoping to become Chelsea’s new owner has heaped praise on manager Thomas Tuchel, labelling the German a "brilliant human".
Candy is one of the parties interested in replacing Roman Abramovich as the new Blues owner following the Russian's decision to put the club up for sale. Abramovich was subsequently sanctioned by the UK government for his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
The 55-year-old is now unable to make any money from the sale of the Premier League giants, with US-based merchant bank Raine Group helping to facilitate the transaction. The deadline for official bids has now passed, with property tycoon Candy hoping to make the shortlist.
The lifelong Chelsea supporter is fronting a consortium including backers from Korea and USA, which made a bid in the region of £2.5billion ahead of Friday night’s deadline. The instability away from the pitch has led to some speculation that Tuchel could be tempted to jump ship, despite winning the Champions League and Club World Cup in his first 14 months in charge.
Manchester United are reportedly monitoring the situation with the former PSG star and could yet make an audacious approach to bring him to Old Trafford. United bosses have begun the process to hire a new permanent manager, with the expectation an appointment could be made before the end of the season.
Tuchel has himself looked to quash the speculation, insisting he is happier than ever in his current role. "No reaction at all. Do you feel me less committed to the club or less involved in the club in my situation?" the German said when quizzed on the speculation.
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"I think absolutely not, I love to be here and I love to work for Chelsea. This club has everything it needs to make me happy and that's why it's no need and we have plenty of reasons to stay in the moment here and that's what we're doing."
And Candy has also suggested that Tuchel is central to his plans should he win the race to buy the club, praising his demeanour it what has been a difficult time for both manager and team. “Thomas Tuchel has done an incredible job at a very difficult time in the last few weeks,” he told the Sun.
“He’s spoken brilliantly, behaved brilliantly and is a true gent. It’s one thing being a great manager, it’s a different thing being a great human being.
“But he’s proven that he’s not just a great manager but a brilliant human being. He’s got the respect of the media, he’s got the respect of the players, he’s got the respect of the fans, so all credit to him.”
His admiration for Tuchel comes despite the fact that he remains a close personal friend of his immediate predecessor, Frank Lampard. The Chelsea legend was ousted by Abramovich in January of last year, a decision Candy admits he disagreed with.
“In business, you have to make the right decisions at the right time, he explained. “Sometimes I may not have agreed with them myself.
“I think with Frank he went a bit too early and probably watching the Champions League being picked up at the end of the season was quite difficult for him. But he loves Chelsea, so at the same time it was probably a nice thing to see as he put some of the foundations in.”
