Last summer, the Blues signed the Spanish midfielder on a one-year loan from Atletico Madrid, with the club having the option to make the deal permanent at the conclusion of the season.
That puts his future in jeopardy beyond the end of the current season as he awaits word on the decision. He has had to wait for his chance in the club this season, making 21 appearances in all, 10 of them off the bench.
Tuchel, on the other hand, believes that now is not the time to make major choices or talk about the future, with him and his squad fully focused on completing the current season as quickly as possible, while he has no concerns about the uncertainty influencing the always-professional Saul.
‘We’ll discuss it at the conclusion of the season,’ our head coach remarked. ‘At the moment, he’s going through a terrible time, but what I admire about him is that he continues to contribute.’ In team sports, it’s the same way. Even if it doesn’t make you happy, and I’m sure he isn’t, he keeps pushing and staying positive, and he pays attention to the quality of training with the group that doesn’t play as much, which means a lot to me and to the atmosphere in the dressing room and within the group that we stay competitive.’
The German emphasized the significance of Saul’s mindset, believing that his ability to remain a good member of the squad even when things aren’t going his way should not be overlooked.
‘I don’t have much positive news for him when it comes to the lineup, but he needs to be emotionally and physically active,’ the boss continued. ‘This is what he does, despite the fact that it is not easy for him, and we are grateful for it.
‘We demand it as well, but it demonstrates that he is a true sportsman.’ We don’t have time to discuss it right now because we still have to battle for straight qualification to the Champions League and the best possible result, plus we have a cup final to play. So when the time comes, we’ll chat.’
Tuchel also mentioned the possibility of five players who were absent from the team sheet for Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United returning to the lineup for our next match, which is against Everton in the Premier League tomorrow.
Tuchel stated three injured players are still out of contention as they continue their recovery, while two more are uncertain due to sickness, after our 2-2 draw in Manchester on Thursday.
‘Of the injured players, Ben Chilwell will definitely not play,’ he stated. ‘And it’s too early for Mateo Kovacic; he hasn’t been in team training yet, and he hasn’t returned.’ The same can be said about Callum Hudson-Odoi.
‘Andreas Christensen is a maybe, let’s see what happens once he gets better, and Ross Barkley is the same.’ We’ll have to wait and watch how they react.’
