Following Chelsea and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku‘s public comments about his ‘unhappy’ situation at Chelsea, manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken on the incident and criticised the striker.

Following Chelsea’s lacklustre 1-1 draw against Brighton on December 29, videos surfaced of a Lukaku interview where the striker is seen saying that he is unhappy with his situation at Chelsea. In the interview with Sky in Italy, believed to have been recorded three weeks earlier, the big Belgian said, “Physically I’m doing great. I’m just not very happy with the situation, but that’s normal. I think the boss has decided to play a different formation but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally. I’m not happy with the situation but it’s my job and I mustn’t give up.”

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Lukaku went on to add that he “loved” Inter Milan and had fallen “in love” with Italy, and he expressed his desire to return to the Serie A side one day. Understandably, Lukaku’s comments sparked speculation about an imminent move away from Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window, but the credibility of such rumours is questionable.

The Belgian’s comments have not gone down well with the Chelsea faithful or Chelsea management, and Thomas Tuchel has expressed his displeasure at the Belgian’s indiscretion. Speaking to media, the German said, “We don’t like it, of course. It brings noise that we don’t need and it’s not helpful. We don’t want to make more out of it than it actually is. It is easy to take lines out of context, shorten lines, make headlines and then realise later that it is not so bad and maybe not what he meant…We need a calm environment and focus and this does not help.”

However, when asked what his perceptions were, Tuchel said that he did not feel that Lukaku was unhappy, but was quick to add, “But you need to ask him, not me. This is today’s world and everything you say is out there in public if you are such a big player like Romelu. He is an experienced player and he should know what kind of value it has when he speaks out with messages like this.”

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The drama over the Lukaku situation could have an impact on January 2, when Chelsea host title rivals Liverpool. With both sides having dropped points of late, both the Blues and the Reds will be looking to beat the other and close the gap on Manchester City who are slowly but steadily establishing a formidable lead at the top of the Premier League.