Thomas Tuchel insists he was involved in Chelsea's decision not to make any signings in January and says Blues director Marina Granovskaia is never more than a phone call away if there is an issue to raise or discuss.
Chelsea went into the winter transfer window with one key area in need of strengthening: left wing-back. That was because of Ben Chilwell's season-ending knee injury and the lack of cover for 31-year-old Marcos Alonso.
Tuchel hoped the Blues could come to an agreement with Lyon for the return of Emerson Palmieri, who was loaned to the Ligue 1 side in the summer.
There was no break clause in that deal so Chelsea went as far as to offer the French club £3million in compensation to bring the Italian international back to Stamford Bridge. However, Lyon refused to sanction Emerson's departure.
Chelsea were able to recall left-sided winger Kenedy from his loan spell at Brazilian club Flamengo last month and that coupled with the failure to secure Emerson effectively brought an end to the Blues' transfer window.
Many within the club's fanbase were – and still are – unhappy with Chelsea's inactivity in the window. Some felt it was a sign of the board not supporting Tuchel and not showing enough ambition in an effort to close the gap to Liverpool land Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
However, Tuchel is adamant he was consulted over Chelsea's January business and had a say in the decision taken not to add to his squad last month.
"Of course, we looked into the market," he said. "Of course, we were informed about what was possible. And of course, people offered us players. But it is not just about doing it [signing players] to calm down the noise around it [the transfer window].
"It has to make sense and to make sense you need a big package: quality, personality, you need the position. And in the end, we decided not to do it because we have genuine trust in the players because players like Malang Sarr stepped up when they played.
"So considering the opportunities, it left us with the decision not to do anything – and that was a decision we took together."
Tuchel has enjoyed a good working relationship with Granovskaia – who oversees the day-to-day running of the club – since taking charge a little over a year ago.
There have been no major disagreements over transfer policy, no heated words over decisions taken by the club. Everything has, thus far, run smoothly between the pair.
On the pitch, Tuchel has faced challenges this season, no more so than in the previous two months during which Chelsea's Premier League title challenge fizzled out due to a combination of injuries, positive Covid tests, and an intense fixture schedule.
The German coach wasn't afraid to speak publicly in January about the fatigue his players were suffering, something which some felt was a message to the Chelsea board that reinforcements were required in the transfer market.
However, Tuchel says that wasn't the case and is adamant that he can always speak with Granovskaia if there is a problem or issue to solve.
“When I say and describe the situation that we lack key players or that we lack points [in the Premier League] because of this, I'm just describing the situation. There are no messages to the board or to Marina. If I want to get a message to the board or to Marina I can go to my phone and call her.
"It just describes a situation and I give you my opinion why maybe things, like our results or the style of play, are not working as we want them to work out. For me, the reasons are injuries, Covid for us, and the situation that we had the toughest schedule that you can have given the times between the matches. That was pretty much it."
