Chelsea 'scapegoat' Timo Werner lashes out at Thomas Tuchel and Lukaku decision

Timo Werner was a flop at Chelsea

Chelsea flop Timo Werner has blasted former coach Thomas Tuchel for “scapegoating” him.

Werner arrived from RB Leipzig in 2020 full of promise after his £47.5million transfer. But the forward struggled to adapt and missed several big chances in front of goal, which set him on a downward spiral.

Following an arguably more difficult second season, the pacy Werner called time on his spell in England and returned to Leipzig last summer. And he has now pointed the finger at his head coach at the time, now-sacked fellow German, Thomas Tuchel.

Speaking to The Sun, Werner explained his immense disappointment at the Blues splashing out on striker Romelu Lukaku - at the time a record transfer - just months after he helped deliver the Blues’ second Champions League title.

Werner played almost every game that season (52) and made an impact despite his lack of goals (12) in all competitions.

He said: “When you come from the kind of success I had in Germany or with Chelsea — playing nearly every game in the first season, winning the Champions League in 2021, scoring in the semi-final against Real Madrid, making a lot of goals.

“Then all this gets a little bit forgotten by the manager, it was not really fair. That was also a reason I had to move back to Leipzig, to get the enjoyment again.

“I didn’t feel that any more but you need it to be successful. In the end a manager likes some players more [Lukaku] than others — it’s completely normal and you have to accept that.”

Frank Lampard had been the man to bring Werner to west London, but was replaced just a few months later by Tuchel following his sacking. The pair's sour relationship was best epitomised by Tuchel berating the player for being flagged offside in the Champions League final.

“From the outside it was easy to scapegoat me, whether that was from the media or coaches, whatever,” Werner added.

The striker eventually decided enough was enough and secured a £25.3m return to east Germany, closing a nightmarish chapter in his career. He was promptly followed out of the door by Tuchel, who new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly dismissed last September.

For Werner, this season has been a breath of fresh air after losing the “enjoyment” of playing football for a period. He is currently on 11 goals in 23 games for the season, having recovered from a serious knee injury that kept him out of the World Cup.