Tony Cascarino worried about ‘messy’ Chelsea after pre-season turmoil but ‘class act’ Thomas Tuchel backed to sort things out

Chelsea have become one of the biggest talking points of the summer in recent days.

It has been a turbulent pre-season for Thomas Tuchel’s side with plenty of goings on both on and off the pitch.

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There has been the takeover by Todd Boehly’s consortium that has seen changes at the top of the club.

Then there has been a sizeable turnover on the pitch too with the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving on free transfers, while Romelu Lukaku joined Inter Milan on loan.

Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly have both signed, but they will want a few more names in the door before the window closes.

Results in pre-season have been poor and have included a defeat on penalties to Charlotte, a narrow 2-1 win over Club America, before a 4-0 drubbing to Premier League rivals Arsenal.

Tuchel admitted he was worried about Chelsea following that loss, with less than two weeks to go until the season starts.

While some fans are less an upbeat about the new season, others have been quick to point out that it is merely pre-season.

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Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has faith in Tuchel to get the Blues firing again at the start of the season.

He said: “Sterling, for me, is a great signing and I think he will do really well for the football club.

“I think he’s undervalued in the Premier League for what he does.

“They need a couple more signings, they need to bring in a couple of centre-halves.

“But I think Thomas Tuchel is a class act. I love the way he talks, everything about him.

“I wouldn’t be too concerned just yet, as I think he knows how to get the best out of a team.

“Losing 4-0 to Arsenal is never good… but it is pre-season.”

Ex-Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino was a bit more concerned and thinks the turmoil off the pitch risks spilling over onto it.

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He told talkSPORT: “So much uncertainty within that squad. Take Timo Werner, who has made it quite clear he’d like to move on and play elsewhere as he wants more game time ahead of the World Cup.

“That’s littered in Chelsea’s squad, way too many. 

“You also have to add in departures at the top end of the club. That doesn’t always affect what happens on the field, but from Bruce Buck to Marina to Petr Cech, there’s too much change at Chelsea.

“It’s becoming a bit messy.”