Thomas Tuchel has said he does have conversations with the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech and others considering a future away from Chelsea. However, the Blues boss is looking forward to the transfer window closing so Chelsea can guarantee total commitment to the team.
The German coach conceded that players would have much going on outside of training and matches as interest intensifies in their future, particularly with a World Cup on the horizon. Chelsea have a number of unresolved situations with Ethan Ampadu, Christian Pulisic, Billy Gilmour, Ross Barkley, Marcos Alonso, Kenedy, Michy Batshuayi, in addition to Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech, all being linked with moves away from the club.
Tuchel has resigned himself to the fact that there may be distractions in the last days of the window.
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He said: "We do, but it's maybe human when there is a transfer window. They are not only with us at Cobham. When they leave the building, they have their phone on, and they will get calls, think about their future, their next step, and there is a World Cup coming that everyone talks and thinks about.
"At the moment, I accept it's like this. But from September 1, there are no more excuses and no more distractions. I am very, very happy when the transfer window is over because then we have different leverage to push players, and then the commitment has to be 100%, we will not accept 99%. The reality is that sometimes, in the last days of the window, you have to simply accept it no matter what you wish for. It's the reality."
Chelsea face Southampton on Tuesday night before the transfer window closes on Thursday night. While Tuchel knows members of his squad could be distracted, he is very aware of the challenge Southampton face.
The Blues came away comprehensive winners on their last visit to St Mary's as Timo Werner and Mason Mount scored a brace on the way to a 6-0 win. Tuchel is expecting an intense match, where recovery will be imperative following the win over Leicester.
"I had the chance to watch the game of Southampton [against Manchester United] live and saw a very strong side. They had a huge turnaround at Leicester to win the game, and you could see they gained a lot of confidence from it. They conceded, but they had a lot of touches in the box, a lot of shots against Manchester United and were very mobile upfront.
"What you can always expect in Southampton is a physical game, a running game, a high-intensity game. This is what it is. We need to recover well and be well prepared to repeat what we did last season."
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