Thomas Tuchel fears Chelsea ‘not ready’

Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus flicks the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and defender Thiago Silva to score in the first half of the Florida Cup friendly match on Saturday night. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admits his side are behind in preparations for the new season. Picture: AP/John Raoux

Thomas Tuchel has said he cannot guarantee Chelsea will be ready for their first Premier League game of the season in less than two weeks, and that they need more signings to become competitive.

Chelsea were thrashed 4-0 by Arsenal in Orlando on Saturday in the final match of their pre-season tour to the US, with Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Albert Sambi Lokonga all scoring for Mikel Arteta’s side. Kalidou Koulibaly — the Senegal defender signed from Napoli for £33.8m — made his first appearance for the club as a second-half substitute, while Chelsea have also brought in Raheem Sterling from Manchester City this summer.