Chelsea have sacked manager Thomas Tuchel following last night’s Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb. The 49-year-old German leaves Stamford Bridge after 20 months.
Tuchel’s coaching staff have been placed in temporary charge until a replacement is found by owner Todd Boehly. A club statement said the owners believed it was “the right time” to bring in a new head coach.
It is believed that Tuchel had lost the dressing room and the confidence of the board in recent times, and had become less communicative with both groups.
Chelsea had won just seven of their last 16 Premier League matches, starting this season with two defeats in their first six games trailing five points behind leaders Arsenal.
“As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition,” the statement read.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club. Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.”
Tuchel was appointed on 26 January, 2021, replacing Frank Lampard, and guided the club to their second Champions League title just four months later. He went on to add the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup later that year.
Brighton manager Graham Potter, former Tottenham and Paris St-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino and ex-Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane are among the early favourites with bookmakers to replace Tuchel.