World Cup winner opens door to Chelsea move after Tuchel statement, Blues leading race to sign No.10 American forward, as Ferdinand makes his prediction for Chelsea vs Real Madrid
Barcelona forward has revealed Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been his favourite manager to play under to date.
The French winger has failed to light up LaLiga as many expected following a £97million move from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, as he has been constantly injured and in and out of that Barcelona side.
That has led to alot of speculation in the media that Barcelona may look to offload the Frenchman in the coming transfer window, especially as there are many reports that they need to pay off a £900 million debt.
And it appears Dembele would be keen to link up once again with his former Dortmund boss Tuchel, who has been tipped to make a transfer move for the speedy winger when the transfer window opens up in just a few months time
Dembele remembers the season they had together very fondly and still holds the our manager in high regard, Speaking to BeIN sports, Dembele said: ‘Thomas Tuchel really convinced me, he is my favourite manager.’
He continued: ‘With Thomas Tuchel I played a bit more on the right side at the beginning of the season, and then I was moved more centrally, in the 10 position, sometimes even in the midfield three you see.
‘And he told me to stay a bit more central, have an espresso as he used to say to me, the ball will come to you and then you will go. ‘It would have been hard to leave Dortmund if Tuchel had stayed.’
Blues leading race to sign No.10 American forward
As the summer transfer window steadily nears, PL teams will already be in the process of identifying targets and arranging moves, with some eyeing the Championship for any possible bargains.
Barnsley striker Daryl Dike continues to pop up in the transfer rumour mill ahead of the season end, with the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, Man United, and Leeds United, to name a few, linked. Wait too long, of course, and some of the heavyweights may snap him up first.
Registering an impressive rate of eight goals in 14 games, it’s not entirely surprising that the 20-year-old has caught the eye whilst on loan from Orlando City. The talented centre-forward would certainly make a great deal of sense for Marcelo Bielsa’s West Yorkshire outfit, particularly with star man Raphinha being eyed by Liverpool.
With a valuation of €5m, the American would represent a low-risk potential bargain for any PL side willing to take a punt. For clubs lower down the table, it may be a chance too good to turn down, with the financial ramifications of Covid-19 severely affecting the transfer plans of sides around Europe.
It remains to be seen if Christian Pulisic can start to perform more consistently soon, but he looked in fine shape against Palace as he scored twice in a 4-1 win for the Blues.
Former Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has made his predictions for Chelsea vs Real Madrid. The second leg of the Champions League semi-final will take place on Wednesday night, with the tie locked level at 1-1.
Chelsea scored a crucial away goal in the first leg played at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano. Christian Pulisic scored a brilliant individual goal to hand Chelsea the lead before Karim Benzema equalized for Real Madrid.
Rio Ferdinand makes his prediction for Chelsea vs Real Madrid
Rio Ferdinand believes Chelsea will reach their third Champions League final on Wednesday and face Premier League rivals Manchester City in the final.
‘Chelsea’s high pace game will be too much for Real Madrid’ – Rio Ferdinand
Speaking on his YouTube channel Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, the ex-Manchester United superstar believes Chelsea will progress through to the Champions League final at the expense of Real Madrid.
Speaking about the game, Ferdinand said:
“After watching Real Madrid play and navigate their way through against Liverpool I thought the experience was going to be telling for Real Madrid.””But Chelsea, the way they play at high pace, Real Madrid can’t live with it. If they play at high pace the whole game again and go for it again, I think they overrun this Real Madrid team.”
Rio Ferdinand believes Chelsea will have the edge if they play on the front foot for the whole 90 minutes. With the energy Chelsea possesses in their midfield with Kante, Havertz and Mount, Rio Ferdinand thinks they can outrun Real Madrid’s aging midfield.
Rio Ferdinand thinks Chelsea will defeat Real Madrid in the semi-final to reach the showpiece final in Istanbul. He also predicted Manchester City will beat Paris Saint-Germain in the second semi-final.
If Ferdinand’s prediction is accurate, this will be the second all-English Champions League final in three seasons. Liverpool and Tottenham competed in the 2019 final, which took place at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.
“I think it will be a Chelsea vs. Manchester City final. I actually went the other way [beforehand], I thought it would be a Real Madrid vs. PSG final but not anymore.”