It was only going to be a matter of time before Thomas Tuchel started sniffing around his old club, Chelsea, to see which bargains could be had and which of his old players might consider moving to Bavaria for a new adventure.
Although things ended acrimoniously for Tuchel in west London, his status as an elite coach remains, and if he were to spectacularly pull off a Champions League title in his first few months in the Bayern Munich job, his pulling power will be enhanced more than it is already.
According to Calciomercato, Tuchel has his eye on two players that have fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
One is keeper, Edouard Mendy, who was a virtual ever-present under Tuchel, and the other is Mateo Kovacic.
The fact that Graham Potter has seen fit to hardly use either player is a bit of a head scratcher in truth.
Kovacic, for example, has all of the attributes to be an incredible success in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield, and at just 28 years of age, he has a lot of football left in him yet.
Although Kepa Arrizabalaga has acquitted himself well between the sticks for Potter, he is the more error prone of the two custodians, and the manager is taking a risk aligning himself with the Spaniard as his long-term option.
Given their lack of matches recently, both Kovacic and Mendy would surely be tempted by a lucrative offer, but it remains to be seen if Chelsea owner, Todd Boehly, is willing to play ball.
