No standing still for Roman’s next empire

For Thomas Tuchel it was a night of firsts.

Not only did Chelsea's manager claim a first Champions League crown as a manager, he met his boss for the first time too.

The German was joined by Roman Abramovich on the pitch at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto as the man whose millions have made it all possible since 2004 celebrated a second European Cup in his time presiding over the Stamford Bridge club.

That first face-to-face conversation since Tuchel's arrival back in January came as a clause in his contract, triggered by winning the biggest trophy of all in just his first six months in charge, came into effect.

A longer, more lucrative deal is set to be signed imminently.

“If I have a one-year contract I will work in the same way like if I have a three or four year contract," he said, still basking in the afterglow of a victory secured by Kai Havertz's first-half goal against Manchester City. "It will not change so much because I demand a lot from myself and it will not affect my input and my energy. I’m very happy to be here, it’s a fantastic beginning and we go now for the next one.

“This is now the challenge. It’s like a similar deal with Tom Brady when they ask him what is his favourite win and he says ‘the next one’. So this is now the thing, we have a Premier League to play from day one. We will be seen a bit differently as Champions League winners and this is where we have to step up. If we really want to build something, I’m all in, I can tell you.”

As Chelsea's recent past attests, he will have to be.

The Blues' last European Cup-winning manager made it only as far as the following November, and while Tuchel's managerial career has already surpassed Roberto Di Matteo's, the need to win and keep winning isn't lost on the latest man to sit in one of football's most precarious chairs.

"Well it's about the next one, honestly," he added. "I experienced it on a lower level, with my first title in pro football. I was not surprised but it was even a nice feeling that it did not do too much to me. I did not arrive at the next training with less hunger or ambition.

"Of course now is the time to celebrate for some days, enjoy and to let it sink in. Of course this is the time now for one or two weeks and to talk about it and reflect on it. But then it does surprisingly not a lot to you.

"And I think that's good, because nobody wants to rest, I want the next one, the next title, the next process. I want to be a part of it and I demand to be a part of it. And this is what comes next, make no mistake about it."

That next step will begin with recruitment in the summer transfer window with Abramovich set to back his manager with "two or three" big-money arrivals.

A new striker appears to be the number one priority with Tottenham's Harry Kane, Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland and former Blue Romelu Lukaku all understood to be on the shopping list.

For now though, after the most relentless season in living memory, the briefest time to celebrate.

"It's a huge experience, a huge success, and of course we all will profit from that experience together," he added.

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"We will use it to stay hungry, grow and evolve from that. It was a huge step to arrive in the final, and then even bigger one to fight your way through and make it to the cup.

"We knew that we needed a top-level performance and we needed a strong bond today to overcome this match and to have a chance to win this match.

"This is what we did, and I'm almost speechless, very, very happy to share this moment with this team, staff and support everyday basis in Cobham. It's for them, for our team manager who is at home, it's for my parents, my family, my kids. And it's fantastic to share that."

Tuchel's message for Abramovich?

"I can assure him that I will stay hungry, that I want the next title and I feel absolutely happy, as a part of a really ambitious club, a strong part of a strong group. That suits my belief and my passion about football in the moment perfectly.

"So my desire is to go for more victories, to grow as a coach and to push the group on the first day of the next season to the limit. We have work to do to close the gap, and this is what I'm all about."

Abramovich, as we know all too well, demands nothing less.