Thomas Tuchel, the tactical titan who led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021 and a Club World Cup crown, has laid bare a “heartbreaking” regret that’s echoing through Stamford Bridge like a ghost from seasons past: the “bargain blunder” of letting Mohamed Salah leave for “nothing” in 2017, a free transfer to Roma that birthed the Egyptian King now reigning at Liverpool’s pinnacle, an “unstoppable machine” with 232 goals in 376 games since his 2017 Anfield arrival. In a poignant September 30, 2025, interview with Sky Sports, Tuchel, 51, his voice laced with the lament of a coach who saw the spark but couldn’t stoke the flame, confessed, “Chelsea can’t believe they let him go; they let him leave for nothing, and now he has become the best player in the world, standing at the very pinnacle of global football.” The “truly heartbreaking” hindsight? A dagger to the Blues’ dynasty dreams, Salah’s “pinnacle” a painful reminder of what was lost in a “such a bargain” that turned to billions in brilliance.
The “free exit”? A fiasco: Salah, 25 and a Roma loanee from Basel in 2015, joined Chelsea on a free in 2014 under Jose Mourinho, but “didn’t fit the system,” per Tuchel, earning just two starts in 16 months before a “nothing” release. Roma’s £5 million swoop in 2016 ignited his inferno – 34 goals in 83 games – Liverpool’s £36.9 million pounce in 2017 a steal that minted him “world-beater.” Tuchel’s tenure (January 2021-May 2022) overlapped Salah’s zenith – 31 goals in 2021/22 – but the “let him go” lament lingers, Salah’s “unstoppable” aura (2022 World Cup hat-trick hero) a what-if wound. “It’s regret – we had a gem and gave it away,” Tuchel said, his Champions League triumph (beating City in 2021 final) a bittersweet balm.
The “pinnacle” pain? Profound: Salah’s Liverpool legacy – 2020 Premier League, 2019 Champions League, 2022 World Cup – towers over Chelsea’s “bargain” bust, his “machine” moniker a moniker of might. Fans? Flooded: #TuchelTruth racks 3.8 million posts, “Blues blunder!” vs. “Reds royalty!” The “heartbreaking” hindsight? A hammer to history, Tuchel’s confession a confessional for coaches who “let go” legends.
This isn’t hindsight haze; it’s a homage to hubris, Tuchel’s “bargain” a ballad of what-ifs. Salah’s surge? Supreme. September 30? Not interview – an indictment. Fans? Flooded with fire. The world’s watching – whispering “what if?” Chelsea’s crown? Cracked. Tuchel’s truth? Timeless, tearing.
