However, Ronaldo also appears to be an unnatural fit for Tuchel’s approach. If Lukaku didn’t have the legs to press in the German’s preferred 3-4-3 shape, then it’s hard to see Ronaldo – who will turn 38 later this season – faring any better than the Blues club-record flop.
Although Ronaldo still guarantees goals at the top level, his impressive returns have hard-hitting caveats. Just like United last term, Tuchel would have to adapt his methods to get the best from the ex-Juventus star.
Ronaldo came under fire for his inability to press in a team that wasn’t exactly renowned for it’s pressing capabilities last year; so it’s hard to see why a team who do actually base their game around a coherent press would be interested in installing Ronaldo as their new No 9.
Tuchel spent the majority of last season being plagued by an expensive headache after it became clear that Lukaku’s romantic return to Stamford Bridge wasn’t going to have a happy ending. It would make no sense for him to agree to what would be a scarily similar situation this year with Ronaldo – even if he would fit the bill as the marquee summer signing that the Blues’ new co-owner Todd Boehly so desperately craves.