CHELSEA boss Thomas Tuchel insists he was happy with the club’s January transfer window despite not bringing in any new players.
The Blues did not spend a penny during the mid-season market as they opted to stick with their current squad.
And, while he admits they did look to see if deals could be done, Tuchel remains content with how the window panned out.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of their FA Cup fourth round clash against Plymouth on Saturday, he said: “I am satisfied because it was a calm window and to be calm was the best thing.
“We were open for things.”
On deadline day, Chelsea were heavily linked with a move for Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele.
The 24-year-old‘s contract expires in the summer and he looked as if a move to Paris Saint-Germain was closing in.
But when that fell through, Chelsea emerged as a possible destination for him in the final hours of the window.
However, a deal could not be reached and Dembele stayed at the Spanish giants.
And Tuchel, who coached the Frenchman at Borussia Dortmund, was quick to shut down any rumours that he had been in talks with the player.
Responding specifically to talk of Dembele, he added: “I did not have contact with Ousmane. There was no contact in winter between us.”
Chelsea face Plymouth in the FA Cup before jetting off to the Middle East for the Club World Cup.
The Blues endured a hectic Christmas period and were the only side to have played 24 Premier League matches by the time of the winter break.
And Tuchel admits the week off was a welcome breather for his team.
He said: “It helped a lot [the winter break]. We were the team who played the most matches and had the least break between matches and that cost us a lot of energy and it was important for everybody.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
“We have a busy month ahead of us and we are looking forward to it.”
Chelsea are still without full-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James due to injury.
But they will still be confident they have enough to beat League One Plymouth and move into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Read our Transfer News Live blog for the very latest rumours, gossip and done deals
