Graeme Souness has accused Chelsea of creating a public relations narrative against Thomas Tuchel in order to 'paint the new owners in a good light'. The German was sacked following the Blues' 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group stage opener.
The west Londoners' decision to dismiss Tuchel came as a surprise and, for many supporters, was an unpopular call. Todd Boehly was subject to great backlash, with many in the industry casting doubt over the American billionaire's judgement.
Graham Potter was appointed just a few days later and the 47-year-old is now set to take charge of his first game as Chelsea boss as against RB Salzburg at Stamford Bridge. But, despite a widely popular replacement, Souness has insisted that the Blues shouldn't have pulled the trigger and 'they got rid of the wrong man'.
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Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Liverpool defender accused Chelsea of 'doing a number' on Tuchel. He said: "They got rid of the wrong man. I would have kept him.
"I don’t believe the stories coming out of Chelsea are anywhere near the full picture. I think the PR at Chelsea have done a number on Tuchel to paint the new owners in a good light.
"I don’t feel sorry for Tuchel because at the end of the day he’s a big boy and took a job at a big football club," Souness added. "The pressure is on from day one. I think they will rue that decision.
"I liked him. When a new owner comes in, you are vulnerable as a manager. He will have his own ideas. With the new group that came in, not having any history in football meant they were on dangerous ground.
"Petr Cech goes, Bruce Buck goes, and Marina Granovskaia goes, I think that was not a good sign for the Chelsea supporters. They spent a lot of money willy nilly, which is what Bob Paisley used to say to us when people weren’t positively sure."
Potter will make his debut as Blues boss in gameweek two of the Champions League group stage on home soil. While there may not be hugely noticeable changes to Chelsea's setup, the former Brighton boss is known for his forward-thinking philosophies. Though it must be said that Potter is bringing a project to west London, oppose to a smash and grab.
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