Although Ross Barkley has only made eight appearances in Chelsea’s 20 games so far this season, the midfielder has always felt useful to Thomas Tuchel.

The 27-year-old looked set to become a forgotten outcast this summer, his previous team number was handed over to Mateo Kovacic, potential suitors to give him playing time away from limited Stamford Bridge, Barkley was set to become a solitary figure in Cobham.

But Tuchel’s work to give him minutes did the opposite, inspiring important moments for the midfielder, increasing his value to the team in the process, as he detailed in a recent interview.

“I scored a few goals and created a few and when he spoke to me afterwards I felt he was impressed. Since then I have been an important part of the squad,” Barkley said in an interview earlier this week.

“It was just about showing my quality, being consistent and doing my extra work, but that was the turning point, just before the days off for the first international break.

“When you train with this manager, he takes note and rewards you, which I had heard from the guys who worked with him last season before I came back.

“It’s great because some managers are not necessarily like that. If you train well it rewards you, but not in the sense that you are rewarded just for training well, you also have to perform well when you do. have the opportunity. ”

Barkley’s comments echo the positive sentiment around Stamford Bridge right now under Tuchel. There is a general feeling that the quality of the team is as much a part of current success as it is of a few remarkable individuals, as evidenced by Tuchel’s frequent rotation in key positions.

Barkley’s form and fitness issues over the past two years could have made him a player previous coaches would have easily sacked, waiting to leave through the exit door in the January transfer window.

Barkley isn’t the only one benefiting from this mindset and two other personalities who impressed in cameos could help save Chelsea fees in the transfer market.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s revival has gone from an impressive appearance to a more regular presence, likely leading to a Sunday start against Manchester United with N’Golo Kante injured.

Loftus-Cheek’s time at Chelsea had been canceled by many, placed in the same category as Barkley. But his performance at Cobham during the preseason clearly sparked something in Tuchel to change that narrative, slowly integrating him into the top eleven as he proved his fitness and influence to rekindle his potential.

Finally, 22-year-old Malang Sarr has only started three games this season. Two in the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa and Southampton, the other a surprise inclusion at Brentford in the Premier League due to the injury of Antonio Rudiger.

Sarr signed a free transfer in August 2020 after leaving Nice in Ligue 1 and was immediately on loan to Porto for the entirety of last season.

Despite being there for a late Brentford play-off, Sarr was part of a young backline who took another clean sheet in an important victory. Proving that he can count on Tuchel again when Tuchel runs out of defensive options which is very valuable as we enter the most crowded time of the season.

If you combine the three players, the estimated transfer fees using Transfer market, it totals up to £ 38million. Ross Barkley (£ 15.30million), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£ 16.20million) and Sarr (£ 6.5million).

The longevity of the three at Stamford Bridge has been called into question, with Barkley most likely to leave in the near future given the potential for his return to form to earn a decent fee.

All three have proven to be surprisingly useful numbers for Tuchel in different ways, showing the value of elite coaching in maximizing the value of forgotten numbers while saving money in the transfer market.

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