Chelsea have decided to sack manager Thomas Tuchel with relationships deteriorating towards both the squad and owners.
The shock announcement came after their 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League but had been coming.
The decision was communicated to Tuchel in a meeting this morning at 9.30am after the team touched back down in London.
That was Chelsea’s third defeat in seven matches across all competitions so far during the early stages of the 2022/23 campaign, having also lost to both Southampton and Leeds in the Premier League in a disappointing start that has seen his relationship with some of the squad deteriorate and growing criticism over team selection.
The club say they will seek a swift replacement for Tuchel, with a west London derby looming against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday amid a hectic pre-World Cup fixture list.
There is no official word yet on who will take temporary charge of Chelsea in the interim, with early reports suggesting that Brighton boss Graham Potter is their top managerial target, with the likes of ex-Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino and former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane also linked with the post.
First-team coach Anthony Barry is likely to take temporary charge of first-team affairs until a successor is in place.
“Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Thomas Tuchel,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“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.
“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.
“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach.
“There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”
Tuchel’s exit comes just 15 months after he delivered the Blues their second Champions League success against Manchester City in Porto, only four months after being hired to replace sacked club legend Frank Lampard in January 2021.
He also guided Chelsea to European Super Cup success against Villarreal in Belfast last summer and to Club World Cup glory in Abu Dhabi in February, as well as reaching two FA Cup finals and last season’s Carabao Cup final.
The German revealed only last month that he was negotiating a new contract at Stamford Bridge, though frustrations were evident during an eventful summer transfer window that followed all the issues of the sale of the club by Roman Abramovich - sanctioned after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - to Todd Boehly and US investment firm Clearlake Capital.
Chelsea Football Club part company with Thomas Tuchel.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 7, 2022
Chelsea ended up spending a record £273million on eight new players in a recruitment drive that went right up to the deadline, with Tuchel having to take a major role in transfer business after the departures of director Marina Granovskaia and technical director Petr Cech.
Tuchel was a major figure behind ex-Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s decision to join the club from Barcelona in a £12m deal on deadline day, with the pair having worked closely together at Borussia Dortmund.
Standard Sport understands that the decision to dismiss Tuchel was made after Tuesday’s dire loss in Zagreb, with both Boehly - who has been acting as both chairman and interim sporting director - and fellow co-owner Behdad Eghbali in attendance at the Stadion Maksimir, along with other members of Chelsea’s board.
