Timo Werner has admitted he fell out of love with football during his second season at Chelsea as he aimed a dig at Thomas Tuchel's tactics.
The 26-year-old recently re-joined RB Leipzig on a four-year contract for a reported fee of £25.3million - two years after making the switch to Chelsea for almost double that price. Werner impressed in his maiden campaign at the Blues scoring 12 goals and chipping in with 15 assists in 52 appearances.
Frank Lampard mainly operated Werner on the left of a front three alongside Tammy Abraham and Hakim Ziyech, and it was a system that got the best out of the German international. Tuchel, who replaced Lampard in January 2021, played a slightly different formation and it caused Chelsea to be less reliant on pace, with Mason Mount often starting on the left and dropping inside to make the Blues better off the ball.
This caused Werner to struggle, especially when he started up front. He subsequently didn't feature as much in Tuchel's side, playing 37 matches in all competitions, scoring 11 times and grabbing six assists. The forward has since reflected on his two years at Chelsea and believes it was Tuchel's style that affected his game.
"For me, the fun of playing football is in the foreground," he told the Einfach mal Luppen podcast, via the Metro. "Of course, I had great success at Chelsea, but the fun got a bit lost in the end because I didn’t play regularly anymore.
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"I think the coach’s system of play didn’t suit me perfectly. That’s why it was clear to me that I wanted to take a new step. I’m at an age where I want to play as much as I can.
"I really associate very great successes with Chelsea – the greatest of my career. It will always be a special club for me. I will also stay in touch with many of the players from the team."
Werner lifted the Champions League during his time at the Blues, but lost out in three finals at Wembley. They were beaten by Leicester City in the FA Cup in 2021, and Liverpool in both domestic cups the year after. However, it is the 1-0 win over Manchester City in Porto that will live long in the memory.
Following Werner's exit, Tuchel is keen to further strengthen his forward line and is lining up a move for Everton star Anthony Gordon. However, the Toffees value the player over £50million and are not willing to part ways with the 21-year-old this summer.
