Chelsea's Tuchel is in crisis mode, but might Rüdiger leave?

Chelsea are so financially constrained by British government sanctions against Russian owner Roman Abramovich that flying to Saturday's FA Cup match at second-tier Middlesbrough was initially ruled out.

A 10-hour bus ride may be the norm for teams in the lower leagues, but the European champions, bankrolled by the oligarch for almost 20 years, are used to living the high life. Reports say a flight was eventually booked.

German coach Thomas Tuchel has so far dealt well with the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Abramovich's subsequent punishment from the British authorities due to his ties to Vladimir Putin. Sanctions include limits on ticket sales and fan attendance.

Tuchel even offered to drive the team bus himself to Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg at Lille.

"I'll drive a seven-seater! Honestly, I will do it. You can mark my words, I will do it to arrive there," he said in the build-up.

In the end, it was not necessary and somehow amongst the chaos, Tuchel managed to mastermind a 2-1 win in Lille that sent them through to the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate.

Tuchel to Manchester United?

Tuchel is now being linked in the British media with Manchester United, given fellow German Ralf Rangnick is only interim boss until the end of the campaign and saw United meekly go out of the Champions League this week to Atletico Madrid.

How Tuchel must wish he had the joys of another Premier League German, Jürgen Klopp, whose surging Liverpool side are suddenly back in the Premier League title race with a stuttering Manchester City.

Tuchel has said he is committed to Chelsea until the end of the season, when a sale is likely to be agreed after Abramovich pre-empted the British sanctions by announcing his intention to walk away. The owners of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs are among those interested in the West London club.

But the uncertainty surrounding Chelsea must surely have spooked the players, especially those who had already been linked with a move from Stamford Bridge, including Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger and forward Timo Werner.

Bayern Munich is the obvious destination for Rüdiger given the Bundesliga champions have struggled in defense this term with Dayot Upamecano failing to convince and others such as Lucas Hernandez being injury-prone.

Niklas Süle then stunned the league by announcing he would move to Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer in July, leaving a big hole in central defense that Bayern need to fill.

Germany regular Rüdiger, who was last in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart in 2015, has improved as a player after a spell at Roma led him to Chelsea.

There were rumblings of the 29-year-old leaving Chelsea even before the Abramovich saga began, given his deal is up at the end of the season.

Werner linked with Dortmund

A possible free transfer would appear a no-brainer for Bayern but if they opt to make a move, they could face big competition from top European clubs such as Real Madrid and Paris St. Germain.

However, Brittany Riley from the Bayern Red Ladies, the only official international all-female Bayern supporters' club, is not convinced by Rüdiger.

"Bayern has a very unique vibe to the squad. Playful. Serious. Family. I don't know if Rüdiger can contibute to that energy," she told DW.

She has her eye on another Chelsea German though in striker Timo Werner. He has largely flopped in the Premier League after leaving RB Leipzig in 2020, after a much-speculated move to Bayern never materialized.

"He plays well with the other members of the Germany team from Bayern, and I think he would bring the right energy to the team," she said.

Werner's Bayern ship may have sailed, even amid speculation about why the German champions are not yet offering Robert Lewandowski a new contract, but links with Borussia Dortmund are very much alive.

With Erling Haaland set to leave in July, with Manchester City now favorites for his signature, Dortmund are in need of a striker and Werner's Bundesliga pedigree could put him ahead of the likes of Salzburg's Germany forward Karim Adeyemi.

One German likely to stay at Chelsea in the medium term, assuming a club sale goes through, is Kai Havertz.

The man who scored the winning goal in last season's Champions League final would cost a lot to prise away and seems happy trying to stabilize the situation at Stamford Bridge.

Asked if he would hypothetically fund the club's matchday travel out of his own pocket, Havertz hinted at the Ukraine war when he told reporters: "I would pay, no problem. That's not a big deal for us.

"There are harder moments in the world, than taking the plane or bus to away games."

Edited by: Chuck Penfold