"We expected more" - Thomas Tuchel claims Chelsea midfielder forced sale after rejecting loan move

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has explained the club's decision to part ways with fan-favorite midfielder Billy Gilmour on transfer deadline day.

The Scottish international made a £9 million switch to Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day which did not go well with a section of the Blues' fanbase.

Thomas Tuchel has claimed that the Blues wanted to loan Gilmour out for the second successive season after his underwhelming loan spell with Norwich City last season.

The German gaffer has explained that the Scotsman needed more polishing to compete for a place in Chelsea's midfield. He said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:

"We had high hopes and he played for us in the first half-a-year when I was at Chelsea, played some important matches for us and looked for a new challenge that did not go so well for him with Norwich."

"We expected more, he expected more so it was like, without pointing a finger, but it is difficult also for him and for us to not succeed, to not play at Norwich, to be relegated and then suddenly be a central midfielder for Chelsea and competing for top four and for every title. There's a huge step in between so we were looking."

Tuchel has insisted that Gilmour was sold only because he himself did not want another loan spell away from the West London club. He added:

"The ideal solution would have been maybe that he goes again on loan as the concurrence is huge for us in central midfield and we felt like he is not the age where he can live again with five or seven or eight matches during a whole season to fulfil his own potential so ideally it would have been another loan. Billy did not want to go on loan, it was a no-go for him so in the end we agreed to a sale."

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Chelsea have spent the most by any club in Europe

Chelsea have been the biggest spenders in the whole of Europe this summer, as per Sportstar.

They have spent a total of £275 million over the summer in order to bolster their squad, £79 million more than Manchester United, who have spent the second most in the summer market.

The Blues have not enjoyed the best start to their season and we will have to wait and see whether they can manage to turn things around soon.